Saturday, December 15, 2007

The Last Disco Record..  


..well Peek's Rhumba My Sensations probably isn't the last published recording from the first wave of 'disco' in the classical sense but none the less it is the youngest record I own that carries all the defining hallmarks of the disco genre as it is interpreted in the mainstream, as apposed to the rebranded spinoffs of italo, house etc.

In fact I would be interested if anyone could prove me wrong, show me a record produced and published later than 1984 that I can only define as 'disco' rather than italo, electro, boogie, house etc etc and I will be humbled and impressed.

Rhumba My Sensations definitely sounds more modern than a 1978 vocal disco cannon standard, but only in it's execution rather than content. Its all there, live latin percussion, a real drum kit playing a hard standard 4/4, soul tinged yet trippy vocal and some cosmic synth work. Its perhaps the synth that gives it away as being of a younger vintage, the production values on the synth lines are too good, beautifully subtle, its been 10 years and the producer has it dialed in now, with the low ascending square wave bass throb that accentuates the bass guitar line.

I have long waited for this track to end up on some famous selector's mix or a bootleg label and for it to suddenly be everywhere, but as yet no takers. It is achingly underground sounding, psyched out out whilst retaining its pop and dancefloor appeal. Maybe its my job to bring this one back or maybe its just that its more to my taste than anyone else's.

This is the disconet extended edit, with arrangement carried out by John Robey of Africa Bambaata fame and New Order fame, the funny thing is that this track is contemporary with the work he did with New Order and Cabaret Voltaire..

Peek - Rhumba My Sensation

Posted by Black Shag | 3 comments

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3 comments: to “ The Last Disco Record..


  • December 19, 2007 at 6:07 PM  

    Is there an instrumental to this? Those vocals are...alright.

    Fresh instrumentation though. Sounds sort of like electro-funk like Nairobi's "Soul Makossa" or the electro version of Katmandu's "The Break."

    I could see people breakdancing to this and I think its that synth snare thats connoting that.


  • December 20, 2007 at 10:43 AM  

    'Is there a place where WE CAN GO RHUMBAAAAA!?' .. yeah, odd choice of lyric and intonation in places. On the Sutra 12" the breaks are all separated on the B side, so you can just easily play out the elctro vibraphone part, which I think is the best.


  • March 17, 2008 at 5:43 PM  

    Re: "In fact I would be interested if anyone could prove me wrong, show me a record produced and published later than 1984 that I can only define as 'disco' rather than italo, electro, boogie, house etc etc and I will be humbled and impressed."

    You probably know it already, but I'd put Main Thing by Shot in the disco rather than boogie category and it came out in 1986!

    By the way: just came across this blog recently, love what you guys are doing - I'm a big boogie fan. Keep it up!

    frankmcgahon.com/musicblog