Michael Wycoff - Looking Up To You

The Revenge's massive slow-mo house rework of Michael Wycoff's rare groove classic Looking Up To You was in heavy rotation in 2009 and now it's finally on vinyl thanks to MCDE, the finest label of the scene. The flipside of the release features a remix of the rework by Grooveman Spot but I have to say that this version isn't exactly my cup of tea but thanks to the nicely teasing, looped out killer a-side, this 12" is a must have. Go get your copy from a quality record store.

The original cut might be on many rare groove compilation rips circulating the web but just in case it isn't, here's a good quality rip for you to get your swing on.

Michael Wycoff - Looking Up To You [320 kbps, DivShare]

Todd Terje edits

Norway's crown prince of disco edits, Todd Terje, will throw a dj set in Helsinki next weekend. In anticipation of this, I decided to share a couple of his edits from the endless vault of sizzling hot Todd Terje edits. There's no need for introductions. Such QUALITY edits of classic tunes will speak for themselves.

Claudja Barry - I Wanna Dance (Todd Terje Edit) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Dee Dee Sharp Gamble - Easy Money (Todd Terje Rekutt) [320 kbps, DivShare]

P.S. Follow the link to check my earlier blog entries concerning Todd Terje.

Francois Kevorkian in the house

Helsinki music lovers were privileged yesterday since one of the greats of disco and house, Francois Kevorkian, was in town. In order to honour his gig I decided to choose a couple of my favorites from him though it's a tricky task since he has given his golden touch to so many amazing tunes over the years. Well, I chose two of my favorites; one old and one new.

Sharon Redd's classic Beat The Street mixed by Francois Kevorkian has exactly the early eighties proto house sound that I love. Here Comes The Sun is a more recent remix work by Kevorkian. In my opinion it's one of the most beautiful deep house tunes there is and hands down the best remix of Here Comes The Sun.

Sharon Redd - Beat The Street (Vocal) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Nina Simone - Here Comes The Sun (Francois K Remix) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Sons Of The Kingdom - Modernization

Modernization is a beautiful, organic, uptempo soul tune from Israel. Well, the sound is created by Detroit and Chicago natives that moved to Dimona, Israel in the 70's. These U.S. expatriates made some excellent soul combining the sound of Chicago and Detroit soul with the message of Israeli Black Hebrew culture. If you're interested, you can learn more from the in-depth article by the good folks of Numero Group.

The original 7" release on K.O.G. is hard to find but Modernization appears on Keb Darge's Deep Funk Volume 2 and on Numero Group's excellent compilation Soul Messages From Dimona. There's also a great edit of Modernization by 7 Samurai. This was released in 2007 by one of my favorite labels of the 21st century, G.A.M.M.

Sons Of The Kingdom - Modernization [320 kbps, direct link]

7 Samurai - Modernization [320 kbps, direct link]

D'Angelo appreciation

I have never liked the term neo-soul but if I would use it D'Angleo would be the king of the genre. Brown Sugar is easily the best album of the neo-soul movement. I'm sure you're aware of his situation. He really hit rock bottom but it seems that he's tightening up his game. His last studio album Voodoo came out in 2000 and every one has been expecting something from him ever since and now there's info that the new album should be out soon with collaborations with Prince, Raphael Saadiq and Mark Ronson. D'Angelo will be doing some touring as well in the summer. It will be interesting to see in which condition his amazing voice is and also to see how's his physical condition that used to be quite impressive. Spanish Joint is my favorite cut from Voodoo and and the other track is a great remake of I Found My Smile.

D'Angelo - Spanish Joint [320 kbps, direct link]

D'Angleo - I Found My Smile Again (Remake) [320 kbps, direct link]

Rob Tex Presents The Jimi Remixes

There's not much I can tell you about the mysterious Rob Tex except that he's done two great remixes of Jimi Hendrix's funkiest tune Foxy Lady and I love them both. A-side is a funky laidback tune backed up with a great rugged breakbeat and the flipside features a skanky dub version of the same song. Make sure to check out also Rob Tex's disco edit of Grapevine.

Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady (Rob Tex Remix) [320 kbps, direct link]

Jill Scott House Remixes

I posted a couple of Kenny Dope's Jill Scott remixes back in September but those links are dead. Since the tunes were requested so kindly I re-upped them but I added a nice white label Jill Scott house remix by Bush so that I would have something new to offer. Enjoy!

Jill Scott - Interlude (Bush Remix) [320 kbps, direct link]

Jill Scott - Golden (Kenny Dope Official Remix) [320 kbps, direct link]

Jill Scott - Not Like Crazy (Kenny Dope Crazy Woo Remix) [320 kbps, direct link]

Earth, Wind & Fire - Gazillian Rhyme (Bozo Meko Edit)

The rumor has it that Gazilliain Rhyme is a Mark The 45 King remix. I'm not sure when and where was it originally issued but now it's available on a 7". A-side features an amazing party break edit of the classic tune Spread Love by Take 6. Anyhow, the original is a classic break but unfortunately it's not that DJ friendly since it's hard to mix and lasts for only a minute and a half. This Bozo Meko remix extends the tune and fattens the beat. This one is definitely on it's way to my Feel-Good Summer Anthem TOP 10.

Earth, Wind & Fire - Gazillian Rhyme (Bozo Meko Edit) [320 kbps, direct link]

Lee McDonald - I'll Do Anything For You (Red Astaire - Philly Mix)

Freddie Cruger aka Red Astaire has done it again. This time it's Lee McDonald's amazing tune I'll Do Anything For You from his ultra rare album Sweet Magic that gets a special treatment from Red Astaire. I've not yet heard a bad remix from him though I'm familiar with most of his work. The Philly Mix is super smooth and soulful and the long outro makes the tune dj friendly. Like the name suggest, the mix takes the tune from New Jersey to Philadelphia's soul scene of the 70s and gives it a magic touch of Gamble & Huff. This really sounds like a hidden gem found from the vaults of PIR.

The philly soul remix can be found from this 12" by Favorite Recordings or from the 5th issue of Soul Shaker -compilation. Favorite Recordings has released lots of good remixes and covers lately. Among others there's a bunch of other nice remixes of I'll Do Anything For You and some good remakes of We've Only Just Begun. Sound clips and more info for example from Beatjoint.

Lee McDonald - I'll Do Anything For You (Red Astaire - Philly Mix) [320 kbps]

Lee McDonald - I'll Do Anything For You (original album version) [320 kbps]

Quantic & Nickodemus - Mi Swing Es Tropical

A friend of mine hooked me up with a link to mixtapes they've done under the name of True Note DJs. They made these mixes consisting of all things groovy (rap, latin sounds, funk, breaks and whatnots) to promote the great parties they were throwing. If you're interested in the mixtapes, go get 'em here.

The second mixtape kicks off with one of my favorite tunes of 2005, Mi Swing Es Tropical by Quantic & Nickodemus. Yes, it's the track used for the iPod ad. This tune is especially convenient for these gloomy and cold winter days. It keeps me going though I'm freezing my nuts off standing on the bus stop in a blizzard. The reggae remix by ZEB does the trick as well. And yeah, it's okay to enjoy these tracks though you're fortunate enough to live in a warm and pleasant climate.

Quantic & Nickodemus - Mi Swing Es Tropical feat. Tempo & Candela Allstars [320 kbps]

Quantic & Nickodemus - Mi Swing Es Tropical (ZEB's Reggae Remix) [320 kbps]

Sharon Jones - How Long Do I Have To Wait For You (Ticklah Remix)

More Daptone greatness on boogiebanger.blogspot.com. I already mentioned Scion AV's Daptone remix project in my previous post. Ticklah, who used to play in The Dap-Kings but has since moved on to play in Antibalas, was asked to do a remix of some Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings' tune for this project. He chose their banging soul groover How Long Do I Have To Wait For You. Ticklah took the vocals and played all the instruments himself and created an amazing reggae tune that is completely different from the original banger. Like mentioned before, the remix appears on this compilation and on a Daptone 7" with a solid dub version on the flip side. If you're feeling this remix, you might wanna check out this one as well.

Sharon Jones - How Long Do I Have To Wait For You (Ticklah Remix) [320 kbps]

The Budos Band - Chicago Falcon (The Washington Sq. Lads Remix) feat. Wale

Because Make The Road By Walking was so amazing I've been listening to other Daptone related stuff a lot lately and rediscovered a nice remix of The Budos Band's track Chicago Falcon. The band is known for making raw instrumental afrobeat/funk whereas The Washington Sq. Lads Remix is completely different with electronic sounds and raps by Wale but still the remix works really well. The remix is taken from Scion CD Sampler Vol. 19. If you're not familiar with Scion AV, check it out. These samplers are part of Toyota's guerilla marketing campaign. The compilations are usually full of good tunes from independent labels. It would be nice to see more marketing campaigns like this one.

The Budos Band - Chicago Falcon (The Washington Sq. Lads Remix) feat. Wale [320 kbps]

Here's a cool video (made by pakratNYC) for The Volcano Songs that appears on The Budos Band's self-titled debut album (2005).

Paul Nice - Journey To The Centre Of The Beats

Paul Nice is one of those talented DJs/producers that are consistently putting out excellent stuff but never get enough props for their work. If you aren't familiar with Paul Nice you got a lot of listening to do. Check out his excellent mixtapes Soul On The Grill vol 1 & 2, Sade Blends, Breaks For Days...the list is long.

The tracks that I'm sharing today are taken from Journey To The Centre Of The Beats released by Antidote Records in 2004. The mixtape contains some freestyles, blends and remixes. It's not as soild as Paul Nice's other stuff but the dubbed remix/mash-up of The Message impressed me back in the day and it still works for me. It really takes balls to change the beats of a Grandmaster Flash joint but Paul Nice pulls it off in style.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message (Paul Nice's Super Duty Bootleg Mash-Up) [320 kbps]

Sugarhill Gang - Paul Nice's Megamix [320 kbps]

Videos courtesy of MTV's music search.

DJ Mark The 45 King Appreciation

DJ Mark The 45 King doing what he does best. Amazing stuff. No Serato, no high end turntables or mixers, just skills and love for the beats.

I know you are here for the free downloads so here you go. I uploaded the classic joint in case you don't have it and as a bonus Eli Escobar's 2k8 remix.

The 45 King - The 900 Number [320 kbps, zShare]

The 45 King vs. Pase Rock - The 900 Number (2k8) (Eli Escobar Remix) [320 kbps, zShare]

In The Mix...Stevie Wonder

Here's a couple of my favorite Stevie Wonder edits/remixes. It's hard to rework on such classics without raping them but these guys have really done it right. It takes a lot of skills and love for music to get it right.

Stevie Wonder - Superstition (Todd Terje Edit) [320 kbps, zShare]

Todd Terje is a master of re-edits. He seems to be able to take any classic tune, rework on it heavily and still make it work.

Stevie Wonder - Uptight (B.Cause Fraze Ruff Ride Refix) [320 kbps, zShare]

DJ B.Cause, one of my favorite DJ's around, has done an excellent uptempo remix of Uptight that's heavy on the bass.

Stevie Wonder - All I Do (U-Tern Disco Edit) [320 kbps, zShare]

This one's amazing. A solid disco/boogie version by DJ U-Tern. It has a nice and long intro and outro making it dj friendly.

Gwen Guthrie appreciation

During the last couple of weeks I've been really feeling Gwen Guthrie's solo material so I decided to devote a post to her. I should devote this post also to Larry Levan's mixing and Sly & Robbie's production because those are the key elements that make these tunes excellent.

It Should Have Been You (Larry Levan Mix) - Gwen Guthrie [320 kbps, zShare]

Padlock (Larry Levan Mix) - Gwen Guthrie [320 kbps, zShare]

Seventh Heaven (Larry Levan) - Gwen Guthrie [320 kbps, zShare]

Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent (Larry Levan Mix) - Gwen Guthrie [320 kbps, zShare]

These two songs are courtesy of DJ U-Tern. The first one is a great edit of this one and the second one is a banging blend.

Peanut Butter (DJ U-Tern Edit) - Gwen Guthrie [320 kbps, zShare]

Gwen Guthrie vs. Daft Punk (Club Version) - DJ U-Tern [320 kbps, zShare]

Jill Scott - Golden (Kenny Dope Official Remix)

I love Jill Scott and I admire Kenny Dope so when you put these two together you'll have to end up with something extraordinary. And you do; this Dopewax 12" features amazing Kenny Dope remixes of Golden and Not Like Crazy. The record came out in 2005 but it still feels fresh. Original versions of these two songs are from Jill Scott's album Beautifully Human.

Jill Scott - Golden (Kenny Dope Official Remix) [320 kbps, zShare]

Jill Scott - Not Like Crazy (Kenny Dope Crazy Woo Mix) [320 kbps, zShare]

Michael Jackson - Rock With You remixed

There's loads of remixes of this classic out there but in my opinion these two are the best ones. What's special about these edits is that they contain unreleased vocals and ad-libs not heard on the album version. This is because Masters At Work and Frankie Knuckles both had access to the original master tapes of the song while doing their remixes.

Michael Jackson - Rock With You (Masters At Work Remix) [320 kbps, zShare]

Michael Jackson - Rock With You (Frankie's Favorite Club Mix) [320 kbps, zShare]

Work To Do - The Isley Brothers

During the past few weeks I've been working my ass of so I decided to share a true blue-collar anthem Work To Do by The Isley Brothers. The song appers on Brother, Brother, Brother. The LP was released in 1972 by T-Neck Records which was owned by the brothers themselves. The album has a lot of cover songs on it among others a wonderful version of Carole King's It's Too Late but Work To Do is their own composition. Average White Band hit big with the song a couple of years later.

The Isley Brothers - Work To Do [320 kbps, zShare]

EDIT: I added a nice True Beatz version of the song. It was released by G.A.M.M. in 2005. I believe it's Q-Tip who's spitting on the track but I'm only 95 % sure so please, correct me if I'm wrong.

True Beatz - The Workout [320 kbps, zShare]