boogiebanger.tumblr.com

Since Google thinks it's ok to delete blog posts arbitrarily, I decided to change the blog platform so please update your bookmarks.

boogiebanger.tumblr.com

All new content will be posted only at Tumblr. The new site still needs some tweaking but it's up and running. See you on the other side.

Big Bang Big Boom

I bought an apartment recently and I've been renovating it like crazy so I haven't had any time for blogging but don't worry, I'll be back soon. In the meantime you can entertain yourselves by watching Blu's amazing video Big Bang Big Boom and listen to a massive Tom Moulton banger.

Idris Muhammad - Hard To Face Music

I found an ancient jazz-funk mixtape I had recorded years ago while I was going through a stack of old CD-Rs that had been lying in the shelves for ages. The tape kicks off with Idris Muhammad's massive Hard To Face Music. I remember going crazy for this back in the day and it still does the trick for me.

To me Idris Muhammad is one of the greatest drummers ever. Always executing with his own unique style and top notch quality. I don't know why haven't I listened to classic jazz-funk albums for ages but it's definitely time for a proper CTI marathon this weekend.

Idris Muhammad - Hard To Face Music [320 kbps, DivShare]

Francis Lai - Number One

Francis Lai is a French composer behind many great film scores such classics as A Man And A Woman and Emmanuelle 2 to name a few. Le Corps De Mon Ennemi is a killer soundtrack to a great movie. The soundtrack is packed with great funk with some nice prog rock flavors in the mix. It also has a deep and soulful masterpiece hidden between the heavy jazz funk cuts. Number One has such an inevitable groove and somehow the tune manages to create a nasty but classy mood at the same time. This would make a perfect intro for a Sunday soul mixtape. Enjoy!

Francis Lai - Number One [320 kbps, DivShare]

Madleen Kane - Cherchez Pas

I've had Cherchez Pas on heavy rotation lately. It's a superb foot stomper by a Swedish model, disco diva and an all around cool girl Madleen Kane.

Kane might be best known for her hit You Can b/w Fire In My Heart, produced by the one and only Giorgio Moroder but Cherchez Pas easily tops both of these. There are at least three 12" versions of Cherchez Pas and it also appears on her 1980 album, Sounds Of Love.

Cherchez Pas can be also found on Horse Meat Disco's excellent second mix packed with underground disco and italo heatness.

Horse Meat Disco - Volume 2 - Mini Promo Mix by warmhq

Madleen Kane - Cherchez Pas [320 kbps, DivShare]

Benny Golson - I'm Always Dancin' To The Music

I got myself a new soundsystem at home and I've been testing it with Benny Golson's I'm Always Dancin' To The Music. I just love everything about this tune, well the intro isn't right up my alley but everything else sure is. Let's hope my neighbours also enjoy this 90 bpm jam with amazing energy, great saxophone action by mr. Golson, beautiful vocals by Maxine Willard Waters and especially those horn stabs. Though the intro doesn't do justice to the tune and some of the bridges might be hard for the dancefloor, this is THE JAM. Too bad the rest of the album is nowhere near as good as the title track. Of course you can always go for the 12" but it's rare and trades as high as $500.

Benny Golson - I'm Always Dancin' To The Music [320 kbps, DivShare]

Kellee Patterson - I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby

I'm visiting my hometown for a couple of days and of course I had to go through my old digging spots. So there I was going through the crates of a flea market expecting to find nothing special, just the usual worn out schlager albums and K-Tel disco compilations and then suddenly boom, a near mint conditioned Turn On The Lights by Kellee Patterson and right next to it a near mint conditioned Kellee by Kellee Patterson. Priced at 2 euros each I couldn't believe my luck. Well, this is the reason one should keep digging though the results usually are pretty thin.

Both albums have a bunch of strong cuts but the standout joint is the brilliant Barry White cover of I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby. It's the opening track of Kellee and can be also found as a shorter version 7" single and a 7" Jazzman re-issue with a full album version. Enjoy and keep digging.

Kellee Patterson - I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby [320 kbps, DivShare]

The Controllers - Stay

Stay by The Controllers is a smooth and nasty groove with an epic intro and a mind blowing bass line from 1986. You can't go wrong when you play this and Intimate Connection back to back and then drop in Dance (Don't Geek).

The Controllers - Stay (Extended Club Version) [320 kbso, DivShare]

Old School Party Flyers

I came across to Toledo Hip Hop, a site that has conserved and scanned a huge pile of early 1980's party flyers. Great looking stuff that must have taken shitloads of skills and passion from the artists to put together since it's mostly handicraft. Put the needle on your Enjoy Records classics and start browsing. Here's a rock solid classic from 1980 to get things started.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - Super Rappin' No. 2 [320 kbps, DivShare]

Ron Preyer - If You Don't Want My Love

I guess it's the fact that autumn is just around the corner but I have been really feeling deep and mellow soul cuts lately after a great summer filled with uptempo boogie and house. If You Don't Want My Love by Ron Preyer has been one of the tunes that has been in heavy rotation this week. It's an obscure, heartbreakingly beautiful two stepper from 1978 released by Shock Records.

Ron Preyer was part of The Younghearts, a truly underrated early seventies vocal harmony soul group from Los Angeles. I'm not familiar with his career besides this 7". According to Discogs he didn't record anything else as a solo artist. He definitely should have. If You Don't Want My Love is such a strong cut and so is the flipside of the 7". If there's something else worth checking out, please let me know.

Ron Preyer - If You Don't Want My Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

John Morales acetates

If you are even remotely interested in the roots of disco music you don't want to miss this. One of the most legendary disco DJs/remixers, John Morales, is offering some of his early Sunshine Sound era acetate medleys and re-edits for free at his site. Go and get them. If this is old news that I've simply (once again) slept on, please forgive me.

Rhyze - Just How Sweet Is Your Love

Just How Sweet Is Your Love is a superb soulful bouncing boogie jam with a killer bass line. Some might argue that classic Motown-ish soul vocals don't go together with early 80's boogie sound and usually I might agree but not in this case. The track is just wonderful as it is and definitely needs the vocals.

The single version originally released by SAM Records should be cheap and easy to find and the album is not a bad buy either. Lots on nice smoother cuts and some good dancefloor heaters (e.g. Do Your Dance with Jim Burgess on the mix).

Rhyze - Just How Sweet Is Your Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

Citation - Inspiration Of My Life

I was looking at my previous blog posts and it seems that I have been neglecting sweet 70's soul for far too long. A great way to end this grievance is to share a beautiful piece of mellow Detroit soul from 1976 with a superb intro and great vocal harmonies. Inspiration Of My Life is a rare 45 only cut by Citation, an obscure five men group.

Citation - Inspiration Of My Life [320 kbps, DivShare]

Splendor - Special Lady

I've always liked the a-side of this 12" single by Splendor but it's the b-side that made me buy the record. I noticed the comment quoted below while browsing through YouTube and I had to drop by and share this smooth gem with you. I'm convinced that this tune works great also in a less vulgar but equally sensual situations.

"Back in the 80s, I used to work at the "San Tropicana Resort" in Mexico. It was a really sleazy place. Lots of fugitives, prostitutes and swinging couples. One night by the poolside there was a massive party. About 200 people were in the pool having sex while this song was playing in the background. Some fat sleazy guy was getting a blow job at the hotel pool bar while some hooker was fucking another bloke on the side. An Amazing scene of lust and smooth jazz sleaze.This song brings it all back."

-Anonymous commentator on YouTube

Splendor - Special Lady [320 kbps, DivShare]

Musique - Keep On Jumpin'

Produced and arranged by Patrick Adams

Mixed by Francois Kevorkian

Vocals by Jocelyn Brown, Angela Howell, Gina Tharps and Christine Wiltshire

Just looking at the credits of this Prelude 12" guarantees that things will be off the hook when you drop the needle on this classic. Seven minutes of pure disco goodness and another killer on the flipside.

Musique - Keep On Jumpin' [320 kbps, DivShare]

Karen Silver - Nobody Else

I've been gone for a while but now the holidays are over and I'm back in action with the blog. During my summer vacation I took a nice and long trip to Barcelona. Such a beautiful city with tons of cool things to see and to do. Of course I had to find time to check out some record stores of the city. I only went through five stores all located near MACBA. All the stores had something for me and these are quite close to each other so they can be checked out conveniently also during a shorter visit.

Here's couple of random treats I bought from Barcelona. One of the best finds of the trip was Karen Silver's classy boogie joint Nobody Else. I was looking for this for a long time but for some weird reason I never came across to cheap copy until now.

Karen Silver - Nobody Else [320 kbps, DivShare]

Another huge favorite of mine that was missing from my collection for far too long is Space Bass by Slick. I'm more then delighted to have this deep disco monster from 1979 in my record shelves.

Slick - Space Bass [320 kbps, DivShare]

Roger Troutman appreciation

I came across to a couple of good Roger Troutman clips on YouTube with great freestyle talkbox action by the master himself. Damn, he was such a genius with that thing plus an all-around cool cat.

Here's a 12" version of a classic Zapp joint to accompany the videos.



Zapp - Computer Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

Milton Van Houten - Love Attack Vol. 2

I recorded a sequel for my early 2010 mix, Love Attack. Volume 2 takes of a bit smoother with deep 80's soul cuts before getting into foot stomping boogie. Things go as usual, lots of familiar cuts from the blog with other quality joints to go with them. All mixed with love, not skills, so bear with me.

Love Attack Vol. 2 - Milton Van Houten by Boogie Banger

The first Love Attack mix is now also available for download at SoundCloud so grab it if you haven't already.

Love Attack - Milton Van Houten by Boogie Banger

Eastside Connection - You're So Right For Me

You're So Right For Me (1977) is disco at its finest. The sound of the golden era of disco with a foot stomping finger snapping beat, solid instrumentation and great vocals which make those cheesy lyrics sound just so right.

Eastside Connection with some great singles (e.g. You're So Right For Me and Frisco Disco) is an incisive example of the rise and fall of (mainstream) disco. The group released massive disco bombs and got some commercial success as well but as soon as disco was out of mainstream, Eastside Connection disappeared like so many contemporaries without leaving a mark. Well, we have their hits on rainbow colored vinyl so why complain.

Eastside Connection - You're So Right For Me [320 kbps, DivShare]

Private Joy - Coolin Out

The weekend is here and it's one of the hottest day of the summer so far and I feel like cooling out. I think I'll put Private Joy's smooth synth boogie banger Coolin Out on repeat and sip some GTs on the balcony while waiting for the kick off of the second 1/4 final. Life is good, isn't?

My copy of this gem is from 1987. It's the UK release out on Champion Records. The tune is produced by Leon Haywood and it was originally released a year earlier on Haywood's own little label Evejim Records.

Private Joy - Coolin Out [320 kbps, DivShare]

Prime Time - I Owe It To Myself

This one right is THE JAM. Such a perfect tune for Fridays. I know it's Thursday but it's Midsummer's Eve tomorrow here in Finland. This means that I'm heading to the countryside today in order to relax, eat well and eventually get wasted and this gem by Prime Time will definitely be the theme song of the weekend.

I owe it to myself,

I gotta get on up,

And have myself a real good time

Prime Time - I Owe It To Myself [320 kbps, DivShare]

Roberta Gilliam - All I Want Is My Baby

Roberta Gilliam's All I Want Is My Baby is a massive slow burner from 1985. A deep, classy joint written and produced by the one and only Keith Sweat. For a while the 12" used to be a bit pricey but I guess it isn't as rare as people thought since I've seen clean copies trade regularly under ten bucks.

I was looking for some info on Roberta Gilliam but just as before I wasn't able to find anything beyond tracklists featuring All I Want Is My Baby so I guess she was a one hit wonder. What I found though was Proto One, a solid mix of 80's soul and boogie cuts mixed by Niles & Baggy. Definitely worth a listen.

Roberta Gilliam - All I Want Is My Baby [320 kbps, DivShare]

Sugarhill Gang - Hot Hot Summer Day

This is such a feel good classic and it goes great with the weather. I included Theo Parrish's version from 2003 as well. Though the re-edit goes quite far from the original it keeps the Roy Ayers-ish summer groove to it and it the edit goes heavy on one of my all time favorite Sugarhill lines: Freak Freak Da Funk Funk Funk Da Freak Da The Funk Funk Fuuunk.

Sugarhill Gang - Hot Hot Summer Day [320 kbps, DivShare]

Sugarhill Gang - Hot Hot Summer Day (Theo Parrish Re-Edit) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Googie & Tom Coppola - Missing Love

I was watching this video clip of Kon and Amir picking up records at a store and chatting about their selections. It's a nice clip, nothing special but I always enjoy watching these and the choices Kon and Amir made were brilliant. I could have bought all the records except for Missing Love by Googie & Tom Coppola since I already have that one. It's a lovely, mellow soul joint with a great groove.

Just like Kon says on the video, the promo 12" of Missing Love and especially Shine The Light Of Love are rare and tend to be a bit pricey but I've seen this Columbia 12" quite often with a reasonable price tag so keep your eyes open for that one if you're into quality early 80's soul.

Googie & Tom Coppoloa - Missing Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

Glenn Jones appreciation

Today has been a Glenn Jones Appreciation Day. I've been listening to this smooth cat for hours so I just dropped in to share two of my favorite cuts from the guy.

The first track is the instrumental version of his best known cut I Am Somebody. Not much of Glenn Jones' vocals here but it's a super tight boogie joint produced by Robert Wright. I'm sure the vocal version is all over the place so no need for me to post it.

The second joint, Everlasting Love, is the strongest track of Glenn Jones' excellent 1984 album Finesse. Great, smooth soulful midtempo burner that really brings his excellent voice to the spotlight.

Glenn Jones - I Am Somebody (Instrumental) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Glenn Jones - Everlasting Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

The Pockets - Come Go With Me

Come Go With Me by The Pockets is one of the greatest feel good songs I can think of and once again it has been the theme song of my weekend. It's the opening track of The Pockets' underrated debut album Come Go Wit Us. Enjoy the tune and buy the record if you see a copy somewhere. It should be inexpensive but full of versatile rhythm music produced by Verdine White (of Earth Wind & Fire).

The Pockets - Come Go With Me [320 kbps, DivShare ]

EDIT: Eli Escobar is one my favorite DJs and Come Go With Me a huge favorite of mine and still I had slept on Eli's great re-edit which has been recently released on a 12" with a couple of other solid edits. Thanks to Ace Of Clubs' comment my copy is now on its way to my record collection.

Melba Moore - Take My Love

Damn, this jam has been long forgotten but since re-discovering it today, I've been playing it on repeat. Such a strong boogie banger but what else can you expect when you combine a track written and arranged by Kashif, one of the greatest producers/pioneers of boogie, with really strong and soulful vocals by Melba Moore. Take My Love can be found on Moore's album What A Woman Needs (1981) and as a maxi single. Both should be inexpensive and easy to find.

If you're feeling Take My Love, make sure to check out DJ B.Cause's excellent edit of Love's Comin' At Ya, another Melba Moore boogie gem produced by Kashif. Get it from Diamonds In The Dust.

Melba Moore - Take My Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

Tom Brock - I Love You More And More

This week's edition of Sunday Soul features Tom Brock's underrated gem I Love You More And More. It's a classy smooth soul cut with an intro that gives me the chills every time I hear it. The track (and the album) is produced by Barry White and Gene Page and you can clearly hear it in the production. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. The Love Unlimited Orchestra drums, strings etc. are top notch as usual but it's Brock's unique style and his soulful voice that make this track really stand out.

Tom Brock is a great soul singer and a talented song writer as well. Too bad his musical legacy is rather concise. He recorded just one album and wrote some songs (for example (A Case Of) Too Much Love Makin') for Gloria Scott's superb What Am I Gonna Do but that's pretty much it as far as I know. If there's something else worth checking out, please point me in the right direction.

Tom Brock - I Love You More And More [320 kbps, DivShare]

Silk - I Can't Stop (Turning You On)

I Can't Stop (Turning You On) is a deep 2-step Philly soul masterpiece with amazingly beautiful vocals by Debra Henry. Pretty close to a perfect tune for lazy Sundays in the bedroom. The track appears on Silk's rare-ish album Midnight Dancer. It's their only album released by Philadelphia International in 1979. Well actually there's another album if you count Songs For Evolution recorded as Anglo Saxon Brown which was basically the same group that formed Silk two years later. Check out Call On Me from Songs For Evolution, another sweet 2-step groover.

If you're in the mood for more classic Philly tunes check out one of my all time favorite mixtapes Disco To Get Drunk To #3 - The Sound Of Philadelphia by DJ Anonymous. It kicks off with I Can't Stop (Turning You On).

Silk - I Can't Stop (Turning You On) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Lenny Williams - Choosing You

The title track of Lenny Williams' third solo album Choosing You is a huge favorite of mine. A great soulful uptempo disco joint that has an excellent breakdown and a superb bassline. The same version of Choosing You can be found as a 12" single but I would go for the album. It's inexpensive but packed with quality tunes produced by a Motown legend Frank Wilson. A nice set of smooth soul (for example Problem Solver) and a bit funkier uptempo tunes all bringing the attention to the excellent and versatile voice of the ex-Tower Of Power lead singer.

Lenny Williams - Choosing You [320 kbps, DivShare]

James Bradley - I Can't Get Enough Of Your Love

DJ iTunes Shuffle started rocking James Bradley's late 70's banger I Can't Get Enough Of Your Love and the long ass intro swept me away once again. The timing was perfect beacuse at the moment this track is the definition of a Sunday Soul Anthem. It has just the right amount of Michael McDonald-ish smooth yacht rock mixed with real soul music with amazing vocals. This massive but sadly understated midtempo r'n'b/disco groover can be found from the b-side of I'm In Too Deep 12" and from James Bradley's self titled album. This tune should be huge and the record isn't expensive but for some reason it doesn't seem to get the love it deserves. I guess it's due to the fact that the a-side (I'm In Too Deep) of the single is an unimaginative below par disco act so people don't find the monster on the flipside so easily.

James Bradley - I Can't Get Enough Your Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

Clarence & Leon - The Message

I've have played The Message by Clarence & Leon on repeat for quite a while so I had to come by and share this fantastic soulful, inevitably grooving joint from Disco Demands Volume Four. Too bad I don't know anything about the act except that their instrumentation is top notch and the groove is there and it takes you for a good ride. I'm assuming the tune has been edited/extended by Al Kent but it's just a wild guess. If you know better, please educate me.

Clarence & Leon - The Message [320 kbps, DivShare]

Linda Clifford - Never Gonna Stop

Never Gonna Stop is such a sweet and deep groove with great vocals by always so beautiful Linda Clifford. Plus it's a classic sample (2Pac, Nas, ...) and the album is packed with quality Curtom soul and disco joints so I can't understand how have I survived so long without the album. Well, today morning I found a decent quality copy at a local fleamarket for 1 €. Though the record isn't rare or expensive, I was smiling the whole way back home so I would say it's the best buy of the year so far.

Linda Clifford - Never Gonna Stop [320 kbps, DivShare]

Bill Withers - You Got The Stuff

Hopefully you are aware that at the moment there's a re-issue of Bill Withers incredibly funky disco version of You Got The Stuff available at certain quality record stores. The original is way too expensive (at least for me) so go and find a copy of the limited repress because You Got The Stuff has one the deepest and funkiest breakdowns ever recorded.

Bill Withers - You Got The Stuff [320 kbps, DivShare]

I'm sure you know that DJ Harvey & Gerry Rooney did a great edit of You Got The Stuff back in early 90's. It's the opening track of their massive Free Range EP. I'm also sure that some of you don't think it's nothing special, just a break looping over and over but I've always had a weak spot for everything related to Black Cock Records so bear with me.

Lisa Richards - Hooked On Your Love

Patrick Adams has written and produced tons of amazing music over the years but for some reason the rare and underrated Hooked On Your Love by Lisa Richards has always had special place in my heart. Seven minutes of boogie goodness with extremely strong vocals. The original 12" maxi released by Special K Records is rather hard to find but if you don't mind re-presses this might be a good buy since it comes with another great boogie joint on the flipside.

Lisa Richards - Hooked On Your Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

Soul Village - Everybody Loves The Sunshine

It's the first warm and sunny spring day over here after a long and snowy winter and damn it feels good. I have opened my road cycling season, done some spring cleaning and enjoyed a bottle of good white wine. It doesn't get any better than this.

This calls for a laid back song that sounds perfect during a sunny afternoon That would be for example Soul Village's great cover version of Roy Ayers classic summer anthem Everybody Loves The Sunshine. It's taken from their first release put out by Melting Pot Music's sublabel Jazz Makossa back in 2004. It's perfect for the occasion, a lazy jazzy sound that blends with the spring breeze coming from the balcony.

Soul Village - Everybody Loves The Sunshine [320 kbps, DivShare]

Bliss - Groovin' (On A Love Song)

I'm back from a well deserved, long holiday with a great rare disco cut Groovin' On A Love Song by Bliss. It's a sweet uptempo groover released only as a single by City View Records in 1982 without an album release.

The band is not to be confused with Bliss from the same era responsible for such great rare bangers as Stomp and Fun nor with a southern soul act also titled Bliss behind an awesome uptempo soul cut Move It (To Another Side).

Bliss - Groovin' (On A Love Song) Pt. 1 [320 kbps, DivShare]

J.P.'s Force - Time To Throw Down

I'm sure you all know the Amen Break by The Winstons but what I didn't know is that that Joe Phillips, one of the founding members of The Winstons, put together a boogie band called J.P.'s Force in the 1980's, rocked dancefloors around Maryland and cut a killer album with the band.

Sensational Records released the album as a very limited local (Washington D.C.) print in 1986. These days the original LP trades for as high as USD 200 but thanks to Peoples Potential Unlimited I'm aware of this obscurity and able to buy the title track Time To Throw Down b/w another boogie banger Shake What You Got as an affordable but good quality 7".

J.P.'s Force - Time To Throw Down [320 kbps, DivShare]

The Dells - Adventure (No Way Back Pt. 2)

Two massive disco edits from the masters themselves. Ron Hardy and DJ Harvey have done quite similar edits of The Dell's amazing tune Adventure (No Way Back Pt. 2). The original cut and a couple of other tunes by The Dells were used as a soundtrack for Fred Williamson's great blaxploitation movie No Way Back and released in 1976 on The Dell's hard to find album No Way Back.

Ron Hardy edited and played his version before Harvey did his version though I don't think that's the point here or with other disco edits. Of course Ron Hardy deserves credit for his innovative edit but in the end most of the credit from great edits should go to the original artists, in this case The Dells.

I don't know for sure if Ron Hardy's edit has been officially released before his nephew put out the Muzic Box Classics in 2007. The version I'm sharing is taken from an unofficial German release a few years back (2004). Harvey's edit is taken from the first release of Black Cock Records (1993).

Oh, almost forgot to mention that Ugly Edits Vol. 5 features Theo Parrish's edit of No Way Back. It's not on the same level with these two but still good.

The Dells - Adventure (No Way Back Pt. 2) [320 kbps, DivShare]

The Dells - No Way Back (Ron Hardy Re-edit) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Mytic Slot - No Way Back [320 kbps, DivShare]