Leroy Hutson - Classy Lady

Leroy Hutson always comes correct whether he makes soul ballads or uptempo boogie. He's known for classic sweet soul tunes cut for Curtom in the 70's but he sure made good music in the 80's as well.

Classy Lady is a smooth modern soul/boogie tune from his 1982 masterpiece Paradise. The whole album is really solid but thanks to poor marketing and distribution by Elektra the record never got hardly any commercial success.

Leroy Hutson - Classy Lady [320 kbps, DivShare]

The Dynamic Superiors - Leave It Alone

I have watched High Fidelity for at least ten times but there I was again in front of the TV when it aired recently. Every time I see the movie I end up making all sorts of music lists and it happened again. Top 5 blaxploitation soundtracks, top 10 disco rap 12"s ...

All time top 10 soul ballads. That's a list I could never make since there's at least 100 songs that would deserve their place on the list. One thing's for sure. Leave It Alone by The Dynamic Superiors would definitely be on the list. Such a deep song that gives me the chills every time I hear it.

The Dynamic Superiors - Leave It Alone [320 kbps, DivShare]

L.A.X. - All My Love

I've been banging All My Love by L.A.X. on repeat for a good time now. It's such a great, feel good tune. The album is one of those records one would never buy based on the art work but it's a good buy. How can it not be if it's released by Prelude in 1980 and it's mixed by Francois Kevorkian. The title song is clearly the strongest of the bunch but the album has other good cuts as well, e.g. Possessed.

L.A.X. - All My Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

The Etymology of Merimonsteriboogie

A friend of mine is keeping up a small pirate radio and I took a shot at being a radio dj. Here's an hour long set I played about a week ago. Don't worry, no awkward hosting nor introductions from me, just uptempo boogie and some house-ish bangers. I don't have an all inclusive tracklist at hand but here's some of the tracks that appear on the mix:

I Must Be Dreamin' - Wanda

I Wanna Be With You (Part 1) - Armenta

Feel Alright - Komiko

Kinky Girl - The Creations

It's Just Begun (Larry Levan Mix) - The Jimmy Castor Bunch

Crisis - Rhetta Hughes

Milton Van Houten live at Merirosmoradio [192 kbps, DivShare]

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts

I was listening to Motor City Drum Ensemble's excellent mix for Resident Advisor today and decided to share two of my favorites tunes from the excellent Raw Cuts series by Motor City Drum Ensemble a.k.a. Danilo Plessow a.k.a. Aphro Pzyko.

During the past couple of years the guy has released a bunch of amazing, sample-heavy discoish house tunes in the spirit of Ugly Edits. I'm sure all Detroit house connoisseurs could prove me that this has been done before but I just love the way these tracks are built. Authenticity questions aside, this is dance music at its best.

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts # 2 [320 kbps, DivShare]

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts #3 [320 kbps, DivShare]

Eddie Drennon & The B.B.S. Unlimited - Do It Nice And Easy

Do It Nice And Easy has to be one of the coolest cuts in the history of latin hustle music. Disco Deviance released just recently Greg Wilson's awesome disco edit of this classic and I'm loving it. The edit works like magic with hot vocals from Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby. The flipside of the 10th Disco Deviance 12" features Unwind Your Mind i.e. a fresh Greg Wilson edit of Touchdown's Ease Your Mind.

By the way Disco Deviance's excellent mix over at Cosmic Boogie is definitely worth a listen.

Eddie Drennon & The B.B.S. Unlimited - Do It Nice & Easy (With Love) (Greg Wilson Edit) [320 kbps, DivShare]

Eddie Drennon & The B.B.S. Unlimited - Do It Nice And Easy [320 kbps, DivShare]

The Notations - Take It Slow

I was selecting songs for a slow soul jam mix I'm working on and came across to Take It Slow by The Notations, a great Chicago based vocal group.

It's been a while since the last time I played the tune but now it really hit the spot so I had to stop by and share it with you. It's such a lovely slow jam and the whole album is really solid. I just wish they had gotten more love back in the day and a chance to record more for Curtis Mayfield's Gemigo label.

The Notations - Take It Slow [320 kbps, DivShare]

Deniece Williams - Cause You Love Me Baby

Lately I've been posting quite a lot of uptempo boogie/disco bangers so it's definitely time for some sweet sunday soul.

Cause You Love Me Baby is a lovely two-stepper from 1976 by Stevie Wonder's ex-backup singer Deniece Williams. The tune was originally released on the b-side of Williams' best selling single Free. Both tracks are produced by Maurice White and therefore feature Earth, Wind & Fire as a studio band.

Deniece Williams - Cause You Love Me [320 kbps, DivShare]

Dâm-Funk - Beautiful Music 4 Beautiful People

Dam-Funk's new mix for Clae has been out for days but I haven't found the time to listen to it. Thank god I gave it a listen today. Over 60 minutes of sweet boogie and electrofunk gems mixed live via all original vinyl releases. No MP3s, no bullshit. You have to respect that.

In case you slept on this like I did, wake up and download Dam-Funk - Beautiful Music 4 Beautiful People [via Clae].

Ben E. King - Street Tough

Street Tough is a sleek little jam by Ben E. King. The tune was released in 1981 and you can hear this but at the same time it has a great classy and soulful blaxploitation feel to it. No wonder since the track is written by the late great Willie Hutch.

The tune is taken from a Warner reissue 12". The original release has an instrumental of Street Tough on the flipside that isn't included in the reissue. Sharing a good quality file of this would be greatly appreciated.

Ben E. King - Street Tough [320 kbps, DivShare]

Muscle Shoals Horns - Dance To The Music

Dance To The Music by The Muscle Shoals Horns is an amazing horn driven midtempo party starter. Of course a tune such as this is more suitable for Saturday nights but I've had it on repeat today and I can assure you that it moves you on cold and dark Mondays as well.

Muscle Shoals Horns - Dance To The Music [320 kbps, DivShare]

Ritchie Family - I'll Do My Best (For You Baby)

I rediscovered this boogie gem today and decided that it certainly deserves a spin on a Friday so here you go. The track dates back to 1982 and it can be found from Ritchie Family's S/T album or from the 12" single release.

I'm under the impression that Ritchie Family's earlier disco work under various producers is pretty commercial but this one is a banger. The sound is clean and classy but not too cheesy. The man behind the sound is producer Jaques Fred Petrus affiliated with such greats as BB&Q Band and Change.

Ritchie Family - I'll Do My Best (For You Baby) [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]

Woods Empire - Universal Love

Earlier this summer I posted a couple of Beatconductor joints and someone asked about the samples used in The Freshest Jam. Well, it took me a good five months to let you know that you might want to check the title track of Woods Empire's 1981 album Universal Love. It's a fresh jam with a nice laid back beat and just the right amount of cheesiness in the lyrics.

Woods Empire - Universal Love [320 kbps, DivShare]

Advance - Take Me To The Top

Yes, I'm trying to revive this blog after a long break. I hate blogs that aren't updated regularly so when I realized I was mad busy with other projects I decided to call it quits without excuses or without wasting people's time with old Youtube clips.

But now I'm back with less bullshit and more banging tunes. I got lots of thrift store heat unripped but soon as they are on my HD, I'll start posting.

I thought I should start with a megapost of some sort but I'll get things rolling with a classique italo monster. For me Take Me To The Top is one of the greatest italo tunes though if I was forced to categorize it I would say it's more boogie than italo. Genres aside, it's a piece of art with sweet vocals and great synth action.

Advance - Take Me To The Top [320 kbps, DivShare]

Flowers - For Real

This has to be one of the most beautiful soul songs around, for real. Such a sweet, sweet song that hits the spot every time I hear it. Too bad the original 7" is pretty much impossible to get...at least for under $ 500.

The version I'm sharing is taken from a bootleg EP Darker Than Blue Vol. 1. There's not much I know about the 12" release besides that there was never an original 12" version so this is a solid long mix/edit of the original vocal and instrumental versions.

Flowers - For Real (Bootleg 12") [320 kbps, DivShare]

Beatconductor appreciation

Southside Break Crew, Beatconductor, Beatfanatic, Jazzconductor, Discoconductor, Southside Connection... Ture Sjöberg has aliases for every occasion but the common denominator of his multifaceted work is fresh, high quality tunes. Here's a couple of my favorite joints from a few years back that I've been feeling lately.

Southside Connection - Make No Mistake (...To The Disco) [320 kbps, direct link]

Southside Break Crew - Freshest Jam [320 kbps, direct link]

EDIT: Download links removed upon request

Wu-Tang Design Remix Project

I came across to Logan Walter's Wu-Tang Design Remix Project and had to drop by to let you know about it. I really love the idea of redesigning some classic album covers but for sure it will piss off some purist who prefer the originals.

Basically Walters wasn't that impressed by the original cover art of the Wu-Tang related art work so he's redoing all the covers in the spirit of Blue Note. And he's doing it really well. Check out the first seven from his blog.

Inspired by the cover art I was thinking of sharing something of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx but I don't have the record at hand but what I have is an amazing remix of Rainy Dayz. Raekwon and Ghostface spitting over a smooth Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes classic You Know How To Make Me Feel Good.

Chef Raekwon - Rainy Dayz (Remix Long Dirty Mix) feat. Ghostface Killah [320 kbps, direct link]

Harold Melvin & Blue Notes - You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good [320 kbps, direct link]

Family Tree - Family Tree (Norman Cook Disco Edit)

It's been over two weeks since my last post and I'm honestly sorry about that. I really hate blogs that don't get updated often enough but I've been mad busy with all sorts of new things in my real life. Yes, I actually do have a real life outside the interwebs.

I'm back but only to give you a little treat before I head out but I'll promise to come by more often. What we have here is a great edit of Family Tree, a rare classic that's big in the northern soul scene. The edit is done by Norman Cook (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) and it came out in 2001 with the original cut on the flipside of the 12".

Family Tree - Family Tree (Norman Cook Disco Edit) [320 kbps, direct link]

Sweet Thunder - Everybody's Singin' Love Songs

The spring is here and Sweet Thunder's 1978 classic Everybody's Singin' Love Songs is a perfect soundtrack for a day like this. A great soulful disco tune from Philly produced by Larry James. It's a lovely foot stomping track and what's even better is that the 12" is fairly cheap and easy to obtain.

Sweet Thunder - Everybody's Singin' Love Songs

Sweet Thunder - Sweet Thunder

Little Beaver - Party Down

Little Beaver is best known as a guitarist on many great releases by TK Records but his solo material deserves some attention as well. I've always digged When Was The Last Time but lately I've been listening to Party Down a lot. It's an album full of great jazzy soulful tunes. Little Beaver's guitar creates an amazing groove that takes you through the whole album. The back up artists on the album are really strong as well, the best of the Miami soul scene.

Little Beaver - Party Down [320 kbps, direct link]

Little Beaver - Get Into The Party Life [320 kbps, direct link]

Little Beaver - I Can Dig It Baby [320 kbps, direct link]

Mr. Magic - Potential 1980 (Curtis Vodka's White Light Orchestra Edit)

I'm in the process of moving to another city. It's great to have a chance to move to a bigger city but the packing processs is a really schitty task. Anyways, while I was going through my stuff without getting anything done I found an unfamiliar looking USB memory stick. To my surprise it contained quite a few decent edits and some old blog house. The most positive surprise was Curtis Vodka's edit of Mr. Magic's Potential 1980, the holy grail of early disco rap. The ultra rare early Tony Pearson tune is a killer and so is the edit with 11 minutes of non-stop disco heat. It might be that this one's all over the blogosphere but at least I had slept on it so here you go.

Mr. Magic - Potential 1980 (Curtis Vodka's White Light Orchestra Edit) [320 kbps, direct link]

I'm Back For More x 3

I've been meaning to post these three great versions of I'm Back For More for a while but for some reason I haven't. All of them are beautiful songs but I'll always have a soft spot for the original by Leo's Sunshipp. The sound of it is really warm and mellow but inevitably grooving.

Al Johnson's version that opens up his album Back For More is probably the best known out of these three. It's a great duet with smooth vocals by Jean Carn and Al Johnson. Last but not least is a solid cut from Marlena Shaw's album Acting Up. When you have Marlena Shaw on the vocals it's pretty hard to go wrong.

If you're interested in learning more about Kenny Stover, the underrated writer of this masterpiece, peep this article on Groove Collector. BTW, I fixed the dead link of an earlier post featuring Leo's Sunshipp's classic cut Give Me The Sunshine. Check it out if you're not familiar with that masterpiece.

Leo's Sunshipp - I'm Back For More [320 kbps, direct link]

Al Johson - I'm Back For More [320 kbps, direct link]

Marlena Shaw - I'm Back For More [320 kbps, direct link]

Patti Jo - Ain't No Love Lost

I don't know much about Patti Jo but what I do know is that she's done great versions of Curtis Mayfield's classics Ain't No Love Lost and Make Me Believe In You. The first one was released by Scepter in 1972 and the latter by Scepter's subsidiary Wand a year later. Both were originally released only as a 7" but Tom Moulton made a great extended version of Make Me Believe In You for Scepter's compilation Disco Gold. The same edit appears on this essential Tom Moulton compilation.

Patti Jo - Ain't No Love Lost [320 kbps, direct link]

Patti Jo - Make Me Believe In You (A Tom Moulton Mix) [320 kbps, direct link]

Boogiehumppahommia Vol. 1

I should've been working my ass off but instead I did a really quick mix of boogie/disco tunes that I've been feeling lately. I'm not much of a dj so the beatmatching might be a bit sloppy at times but all the tracks are killers, no fillers. Enjoy and let me know what you think. I guess a complete tracklist would nice. Maybe I'll add it later. At least these ones appear on the mix.

Boogie Baby - Dee One

I Wish You Would [Edit] - Jocelyn Brown

Blame It On The Boogie [Re-Booged] - The Jacksons

Love Is What You Need [Pure P Edit] - LTD

I Want Your Lovin' - Curtis Hairston

I'm Your Superman [Disco Mix] - Jan Leslie Holmes

Under The Influence Of Love [Tee Scott Remix] - Karin Jones

Boogiehumppahommia Vol. 1 [192 kbps, DivShare]

Sandi & Matues - The World Pt. 1

There are records with only a few known copies. The World by Sandi & Matues is one of them and it was on sale at this ebay auction that ended just a few moments ago. For some reason I was browsing that one though there's no way I would be willing to pay $ 3,383 for two and a half minutes of funky soul music.

I try to buy the original whenever the price is reasonable but cases like this, one has to go with the reissue. In this case the reissue comes with another great tune on the flipside. The Jazzman reissue of The World features Remember Me by The Trinikas on the b-side It'a beatiful piece of soul music with a great backbeat and amazing vocals.

Sandi & Matues - The World Pt. 1 [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]

Dalindeo - Open Scenes

Dalindeo released their debut album Open Scenes a couple of years ago. When the album came out I went crazy for it and today I rediscovered the album after I heard that their second album is on it's way. Open Scenes is a wonderful album full of brazil/latin flavoured dancefloor jazz. Don't be fooled here. It might appear like this is your average lounge jazz / chill out bull schitt but Dalindeo's sound is fresh and unique and the instrumentation is always top-notch.

Dalindeo - Poseidon [320 kbps, direct link]

Dalindeo - Voodoo [320 kbps, direct link]

Karin Jones - Here I Go Again

This has been my jam today. A sweet boogie joint from an underrated and hard to find album Under The Influence Of Love. The album was released by Handshake Records in 1982. The title track is amazing and the whole album is full of classy modern soul tunes. Be prepared to pay three figures for the original. If you're cool with reissues, you'll find a copy cheap and easy. Btw, if some of you happen to have a good quality rip of Under The Influence Of Love (Tee Scott mix) hit me up, please.

Karin Jones - Here I Go Again [320 kbps, DivShare]

Satisfy My Soul Vol. 2 via Outside Broadcast

I'm sure many of you follow Outside Broadcast so you're already on to DJ mOma's excellent mix Satisfy My Soul Vol. 2. For the ones who haven't downloaded this one yet, go get it. Really strong mixing and a solid selection of classic boogie, soul and disco.

The Fatback Band - Street Dance

Street Dance is an excellent piece of funk from the early days (1972) of The Fatback Band. This opening track of Let's Do It Again has all those great elements that make up the funky sound of The Fatback Band. A unique drum sound by Bill Curtis, great guitar hooks and horns and a nice bouncing bass that makes the groove go on and on. Todd Terje has done a great edit that stays loyal to the original but beefs up the beat and extends the tune just the right way. Great work from him as usual.

The Fatback Band - Street Dance [320 kbps, direct link]

The Fatback Band - Street Dance (Todd Terje Rekutt) [320 kbps, direct link]

Montana Sextet - Heavy Vibes (Club Mix)

Vincent Montana Jr. has contributed to the Philly soul/disco sound as a composer, arranger, bandleader, percussionist and producer. He's associated with tons of great music by MFSB, Salsoul Orchestra, Goody Goody and many others but if I would have to choose one track by Vincent Montana Jr, I would probably pick Heavy Vibes. To be more precise I would take Paul Simpson's club mix. If you're interested in Vince Montana's work in the late 70's / early 80's, I highly recommend this 3LP.

Montana Sextet - Heavy Vibes (Club Mix) [320 kbps, direct link]

Ethel Beatty - It's Your Love

When it comes to Roy Ayer's label Uno Melodic Records, usually you think of the classic Sylvia Striplin cuts. I figured those are all over the interwebs so I posted a couple of my favorites from the Uno Melodic catalogue that you don't get to hear so often. They both have that amazing jazzy sound of Roy Ayers and excellent soulful and sexy vocals. Enjoy!

Ethel Beatty - It's Your Love [320 kbps, direct link]

Eighties Ladies - Turned On To You [320kbps, DivShare]

The Intruders - I'll Always Love My Mama

The Intruders are a cornerstone of the Philly soul scene. They shaped the sound of Philly soul by starting as a doo-wop act and adding elements from gospel and later from the sound of Gamble & Huff. I'll Always Love My Mama is a classic soul/disco tune penned by Gamble, Huff, McFadden and Whitehead. When you have such an all-star team as writers and The Intruders performing, there's no way you could go wrong. This masterpiece was originally released in 1973 but I've the 1977 reissue that features couple of classic Billy Paul tunes on the flipside. The 1977 version is an extended mix by Tom Moulton. It was released to promote a compilation titled Philadelphia Classics.

The Intruders - I'll Always Love My Mama [320 kbps, direct link]

Natural Four - Baby Come On

I've been thinking that there should be a music genre called sunday soul. Well, maybe there is. I just don't know it. Anyways, if you looked up sunday soul from a dictionary, there should be an image of the front cover of Heaven Right Here On Earth. It's probably my all time favorite sunday soul album. Heavenly sweet soul in the spirit of Curtom Records from start to finish. Beautiful vocal harmonies and solid prodution by Leroy Hutson and Rich Tufo.

Natural Four - Baby Come On [320 kbps, direct link]

Frontline Orchestra - Don't Turn Your Back On Me

Here's a certified boogie banger for you the dance the night away. Excellent vocals and a really solid bass line. This one came out originally on Eddy Grant's ICE Records in 1981. Larry Levan made a massive remix of this which was put out by Quality Records a year later.

Frontline Orchestra - Don't Turn Your Back On Me [320 kbps, direct link]

Kings Go Forth - One Day / You're The One

Milwaukee based 10-member band Kings Go Forth released the best 7" release of the scene last year. This limited edition 45 (500 copies, all pre-sold) features two raw funky soul monsters that will cause serious dancefloor mayhem whenever played out. Just amazing stuff. Too bad the pressing was so small and now the record already trades as high as $ 200 on ebay.

We've seen a lot of retroish soul/funk combos come and go during the last couple of years but what sets Kings Go Forth apart from all the others is their amazing vocal harmonies. Sure they have an amazing analogue sound with an excellent rhythm section and great horns but their soulful harmonies by three male vocalist are unbeatable.

Don't sleep on their upcoming 45 release featuring massive tunes Now We're Gone and High On Your Love. The single will be out in late February/early March but luckily it won't be limited like One Day b/w You're The One. Their debut LP is also on its way. Really looking forward to that one.

Kings Go Forth - One Day [320 kbps, direct link]

Kings Go Forth - You're The One [320 kbps, direct link]

Fusion Beats Vol. 2 - Bozo Meko

Fusion Beats Vol. 2 is a classic Bronx cut and paste battle track/megamix supposedly recorded by Afrika Bambaataa, Afrika Islam and Jazzy Jay. Originally this came out in 1981 but I think it's taken from a cassette recording put together earlier. The rip that I'm sharing is taken from this unofficial reissue that came out a few years back. A-side features an unlicensed live cut of Flash It To The Beat. Like I said, it's a bootleg from a cassette tape so that tells you something about the sound quality.

If Fusion Beats 2 was your cup of tea, make sure to check out Afrika Bambaataa's classic Death Mix. It's available for download here thanks to the Top Billin crew. An excellent blog by the way. Lots of cool new stuff and gems from their crates.

Bozo Meko - Fusion Beats Vol. 2 [320 kbps, direct link]

Al Hudson & The Soul Partners - Spread Love

Here's something for the Valentine's day. I guess a classic slow jam would have been more on point but instead, I picked a sweet classic uptempo feel-good tune. Have a great weekend!

Al Hudson & The Soul Partners - Spread Love [320 kbps, direct link]