Echo, echo, echo, echo, echo, echo, echo, echo....

Catz n Dogz

https://www.facebook.com/events/410975512576187/

Euan Simpson and Andy Barlow will be joined for the evening by Matthew Stancombe. Expect disco in all its many forms. As always entry is free and this month we will be only admitting 70 people in an effort to make it a little more comfortable. As we've limited the numbers early arrival is advisory.

Friday 24th February 7.30pm till late, free entry
Relevant Records Cafe, 260 Mill Road, Cambridge

Glitters

https://www.facebook.com/events/1157388427644491/

Resident DJ's Andy and Euan Simpson have asked me to bring some disco records along for a night of dancing at Relevant Records Cafe this Friday. Obviously you're all invited. Sweet spot under the mirrorball, yeah?

Tonight

Andy's doing another Relevant Records Disco Party tonight, check it out!

After the success of the last Relevant Disco we've decided to do it all again.
This time joining Euan Simpson and Andy Barlow we have very special guest Mr B.
The party starts at 7.30 finishes at midnight and entry is free.
Coffee, cakes, cocktails and disco await you

260 Mill Road, CB1 3NF Cambridge, United Kingdom

Art Imitating Art

JB...

Just because...

موسيقى أبو علي - زياد الرحباني - كاملة

Mad schizzle. No explanation needed, just press play.

To the Max

Last seen cutting up disco breaks on International Feel with Zeus, DJ Maxxi is another of Matt Edwards' pseudonyms. Here we find a perfectly executed archival mix of italo classics and the like, reminiscent of IF's seminal "mixed up in the hague" mix-series:

Passionara

I needed something to listen to doing some rather monotonous tasks at work and after having an "Arthur" moment on the plane last week I dug around in my archives and found a couple of mixes/compilations I'd done solely with Arthur Russell material from ages ago, chucked them on the iPhone and got on with things. Village regulars will of course have heard of Arthur Russell, but for those who haven't he was a musician who is notable (amongst many other things) for successfully combining the avant-garde with pop music, at least, that was his ambition. In many senses, his work within the discotheque arena of the late 70's early 80's fulfills that brief in full. Tim Lawrence has written an excellent academic biography, "Hold Onto Your Dreams" and Matt Wolf directed a documentary, "Wild Combination" about Arthur's life which I heartily recommend if this entry piques your interest.

Arthur's music is so varied (Folk, Classical, Experimental, Disco, Indie, the names don't really mean anything as it's all one big melting pot) that several hours of listening will not become tiresome, yet remain coherent and distinctively "Arthur". For me, Arthur was the ultimate bedroom producer and listening to this selection makes me weep for the creativity, musicality and inspiration so lacking in much of the self produced "music" that floods the internet. He was pushing many fields forward with a vision and ambition that makes me wonder why no-one today (within my limited field of view) seems to be following his example and aiming for new pastures rather than re-treading soggy ground. Of course there are artists whose ambition remains high although too often let down by their distinct lack of the genius that makes one of my heroes so special.

Here's some of the weirdest songs you can call classics, with the strangest lyrics that make sense, the most peculiar rhythms that make you move, the most curious melodies that make you cry and smile at the same time, the most alien grooves that put you in a trance. As usual my friend Niki introduced me to most of this stuff. First time I heard Another Thought was in the car en route to a Loft Party. Everyone else in the car was like "what is this rubbish, put something else on" but I remember being quite transfixed by it, ultimately succumbing to popular demand however reminding myself to come back to this curio later. Needle-dropping Schoolbell/Treehouse ensures you almost always skip it, however my first time was in my room after a very long listening session polished with a lot of Rum and through the smoke this was deep deep techno of the most psychedelic order. Listen to "Cornbelt", everything is inventive, creative, the guitar line, the Chicago house fills and snares, the disco claps, the wandering and hard grooving bass line, all of it, slowly unravelling, losing control and taking you with it, nothing making sense, like being rolled around in the ocean.

The picture is from a bay or two over from Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, a place I reckon Arthur would have quite liked.

Arthur's Groove by Matthew Stancombe on Mixcloud

Something old, something new

Dear God

Fred's favourite disco 12"s

Sampled by Danny Wang on Balihu, first heard on crucial Ron Hardy tape, kicks like a mule.

First heard on a hip-hop mix by Ben Simms (I think). Very disco, utterly attention grabbing but never seems to hold a dancefloor. Love it to bits though.

Mancuso's ultimate re-entry record. Rare 12", reissued by sadly missed Flexx. Big with Baldelli too.

First heard this in when my housemate Vincent was downloading some Larry/Garage MP3's. Back in those naieve days I was like "pfft, Larry woldn't play THAT". Ha ha ha, massive sounds, weird though ;-s

Version to Cappucino - He'll dance with me. Covered AND edited by Prins Thomas. Wedding Disco but ace nonetheless.

More Danny Wang edit fodder, has that Bill Withers - You Got The Stuff type breakdown. Less well known that their big hit "Love Injection".

Reminds me of "love Hangover" when it gets going. First heard the Moodymann edit on the insanely rare LT1/Mustang 12". B-Side "Feel like dancin' also gets me in the mood.

Better than the Salsoul Orchestra version, less smooth. Idjuts nicked the tiny break at the end I reckon. Proper happy record, everyone says it's cheese but I have to bump this loud in the car, brings the sunshine out!

Didn't know what this was for bloody ages. Did Bob Sinclar use it? I loved that Bob Sinclar album the joy of later discovering it was nearly all samples was immense, that dawning realisation that "ohh, it's THAT tune!"

First heard as a crescendo to DJ Spinna's Rare Radio Mix from years back, soon to come in the mind blowing mixes series. I met Spinna at the Southport Weekender about 8 years ago and simply gushed. He autographed my copy (god knows why I had it with me).

Sickly sweet and everyone plumps for the B-side (Jerky Rhythm), but I can't help it. So wrong it's right?

More uptempo business. European electronic disco that builds and builds untill, yep, you guessed it, cheesy vocal drops taking us to heaven. Hypnotic in the build though. Patrick Cowley remix is alledgedly better?

Morgan Geist favourite (reissued with a "health club dub on his label), the disconet mix is the one, taking the best parts of part 1 and 11 and splicing them together. I love to use part 11 as a tool, it's so short but so dramatic.

50p on the Village market. It's not the Tom Moulton, but thanks, I'll take it.

All label scans from my personal collection. Please note that not all are rare or expensive. (But some are!)

DD&B

Disco dealer Zaf Chowdry talks deep disco & boogie:

Deep Disco and Boogie from HolyRollertv on Vimeo.

Barely Breaking Carpet

Auntie has always tried to be Disco, but let's face it she's a bit too mainstream to ever really  feel the sleeze. If you read this blog then this documentary isn't going to tell you anything you don't know, however there's something comforting about hearing a familiar voice tell you a familiar story - so let's snuggle up together with a cup of cocoa and revist a favourite bedtime story:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b0124284/

"Disco is one of the most maligned and misunderstood of musical genres, thought to be musically vapid, hedonistic and frivolous. Far from it. Disco was utopian and subversive, and political to its core. Born in New York's deepest underground, it brought together strands of gay liberation and post Civil-Rights racial integration. Disco put into practice what the Sixties preached. This feature uncovers the politics of the disco movement, beginning in the lofts of New York and culminating in a racially charged backlash and the mass burning of disco records in football stadiums across America.
Presented by Martha Reeves, with contributions from Nile Rodgers, Gloria Gaynor, Frankie Knuckles, Jocelyn Brown, Nicky Siano and Vince Aletti."

Love For The Sake Of Love

Ray of Sunshine by fred_naked

Well beard

rock on!

Funki roc by Disco Village

Kool Herc/Grandmaster Flowers

 I am currently obsessed with the birth of hip hop, general consensus states that hip hop was born in the Bronx when Kool Dj Herc held parties in the community room of the basement of the building he lived in with his family, 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.

Eventually Herc’s parties out grew the basement and moved round the corner to the playgroud on Cedar St.

Here is a short video that gives a brief history
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTkbF6dRdoE

Here is an excerpt from a documentary about hip hop with ace footage of Herc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhisX4mVoDI


Grandmaster Flowers

I can’t mention the birth of hip hop without mentioning Grandmaster Flowers. Flowers was a Brooklyn based Dj who preceded Herc, Bambatta,  Jazzy Jay, and Grand Wizzard Theodore. In fact legend has it that Flowers gave Theodore the grandmaster prefix. Flowers used to play in parks, school halls, and clubs. In 1969 when James Brown played at the Yankee Stadium, Grandmaster Flowers was chosen to be the warm up Dj. It is fair to say Flowers was ace… sadly it was a case of always a bridesmaid and never a bride as the djs he influenced became more popular he was less so. Towards the end of the 70’s Flowers had stopped djing and sold his records to fund his drug addiction. Sadly he died in 1992.


This link has a Grandmaster Flowers mix, and a brief history
 http://grandgood.com/2008/12/02/grandmaster-flowers-brooklyn-park-jam-1979-audio/

This link to a few pages from the deephousepage forum, has a lot more info about Flowers, and a lovely post from Francois K where he shares his love for Flowers ( I love it when a post can combine disco, hip hop and house ).
http://www.deephousepage.com/forums/showthread.php?p=656811

I am currently reading “The Fortress Of Solitude” by Jonathan Lethem, as mentioned in the above link, and enjoying it very much. Lots of period details and Brooklyn trivia, once I’ve finished it I shall be reading more of JL’s work.