Les Calamités - Vélomoteur (1987)
This is where the Dum Dum Girls come from. Maybe with a touch more summer, a bit more beach. Not that Dee Dee has explicitly mentioned Les Calamités as an influence. Amazing girl-group singing on the chorus…
Tommy Wright III — Still Pimpin
from Runnin-N-Gunnin (1995)
I know next to nothing about Memphis bump, not to mention the horrorcore murder rap scene, but this track is pretty sick. Found it at Beware of the Blog, where you can grab the whole cassette. If you wish, you can also see Tommy give a Cribs-style tour of his mostly bare, furniture-less tract home.
Some awesome posters over at the Rap Music Guide, too.
Golden Flamingo Orchestra feat. Margo Williams — The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us (1979)
Bumping breakbeat on this track from the Golden Flamingo Orchestra, with Margo Williams’ honeyed vocals on top. Coupled with the subway service announcements in the background, this is a classic. (yeah, Patrick Adams had a hand in it)
“May I have your attention please. There is no uptown A service today. You are advised to take the uptown D train to 125th Street and take the downtown local to your stop… Clear the doors.. we will not move this train until you clear the doors.”
The subway announcements aren’t just there for fun. This dancefloor hymn is dedicated to the Guardian Angels, the red-bereted youth who took crime fighting into their own hands, patrolling the NYC subways in the late 70s and early 80s in an attempt to keep riders safe.
(credit: unknown)
Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, who was night manager at a McDonald’s in the Bronx when he started the group, called New York City of the 1980s a “seething cesspool of criminal activity.”
(credit: Bruce Davidson)
(photo I used at top for album art is Danny Lyon’s IRT 2, South Bronx, New York City, 1979)
Dent May — Shakedown Street (2012)
I’ve been hearing the Grateful Dead all over the place lately. Heard this 1978 disco-Dead tune in a bar last week. Then on Saturday I heard Touch of Grey at another spot. And now this. Are we witnessing a revival, or did the Dead never die?
At any rate, Dent May picked the perfect cover tune to match his cheesy sensibilities. Give it a listen… and then compare it to the sparkling glory of the original.
Musique — In the Bush
from Keep on Jumpin’ (1978)
I’m a little obsessed with Patrick Adams right now. A superstar producer from the disco era (and beyond), he’s got his ear to the dancefloor. Exhibit A: this Margie Lomax track from 1974.
Exhibit B: the 1978 cut featured here, ‘In the Bush,’ by Musique, a supergroup Adams formed with Jocelyn Brown, Gina Tharps, Angela Howell and Christine Wiltshire. The ladies aren’t singing about the Outback… the lyrics sort of speak for themselves. “Push, push in the bush / You know I want to get down.”
This four-track 12” was recorded in only FOUR HOURS. Considering the EP itself is half an hour long, Mr Adams and Co. cut this album with amazing speed. Adams didn’t die in the disco age: he later went on to work with Coolio, Keith Sweat, Salt-N-Pepa and R. Kelly. Pretty impressive resume…
Meiko Nakahara (中原めいこ) — Fantasy
from Friday Magic (1982)
You guys were probably worried that I’d lost interest in Japanese disco, right? Well… never fear. I would never let you down…
Meiko Nakahara grew up in the Tokyo suburbs, learning piano and dreaming of becoming an idol singer. That dream came true in 1982 with her Latin-influenced track ‘Tonight only: Dance Dance Dance,’ from the album Coconuts House.
She followed that up with Friday Magic, a set of disco-ish J-pop numbers like this. ‘Gigolo’ is another great track. (“I want your love for only me…”) Good luck, Meiko…
I heard this track on the terrific ‘Daijoubu’ mixtape by Jiro over at Ying/Yangs… one of my favorite blogs. ‘Daijoubu’ (大丈夫) means ‘ok’ in Japanese.
Margie Lomax — God’s Greatest Gift to Man is a Woman (1974)
The groove on this track, a Patrick Adams production, is unstoppable… really surprised this has never been sampled!
Tony Silvester & the New Ingredient — Magic Touch
from Magic Touch (1976)
This is the solo outing of Tony Silvester, one of the three founding members of R&B group The Main Ingredient. (see ‘Everybody Plays a Fool’) This album has the distinction of having heavy breathing and orgasm simulated on mic in not one, but two tracks in a row… SMOOVE.
Wye Oak — Spiral
from Adult Swim Singles Program (2012)
Love the mallets and chorus-laden guitars on this track…
YUP. A one-off exclusive for the 2012 Adult Swim Singles Program, which is now available for download. Read the artist’s statement over at NPR.
