Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Kinky Foxx  


After hearing the disturbing news that several mp3 blogs were decimated last night by our friends at Skynet, I am stepping out of my cave this evening to mourn and wallow with some oblivious party toddlers. Therefore I ask forgiveness for the brevity.

So Different is a modern soul stepper on Sound of New York Records from Kevin Bassett aka Kinky Foxx. Complete with a "Sure Shot Mix" by Tony Humphries, this was Foxx's only known release. I suppose if you are going to cut only one single in your career, might as well make it a winner.

Addendum:

Our friend Matt from Montreal shared an email he received about the band from a gentleman that worked at the club where Kinky Foxx kept a residency in the early 80's. Here goes:

I worked at Checkers from '81-'87, and the Kinky Foxx effect took hold maybe in '82. Their big heyday was maybe for the 2/3 years following, though they kept showing up as long as I worked there.

When they first came up, Johnny Kemp was the lead vox but he left 'em when they more or less moved up here, and was replaced by Vincent Lilly (who sings on So Different.) Personally, I liked 'em more with Johnny, as Vincent was a bit of an MJ clone, but they were still a fierce live band (and I mean live: trap drums, percussions, slap bass, Jimmy Nolen-style rhythm guit & Ernie Isley/Eddie Hazel wailing lead, keys...) Rhythm guit Kevin Clarence Basset (who wrote So Diff) sang great lead on a few, which were the highlights for me: Champagne's Try Again, Rick James' Ghetto Life etc.

As a live band they were every bit as good as Cameo, or whoever you might name from that era, but they never got the break to get out of the bars. They worked a fuck of a lot in bars, though.
One night I turned 'em all onto 'shrooms, which (to my surprise) they'd never encountered in NYC: half of them loved it, and the other half wanted to kill me!

It was intense times to be around for sure, but just think: if you'd been there then, you'd be old (or dead) now! I still have some pretty much equally intense times, but obviously everything's that much larger than life when you're 20 than when you're more'n twice that.
I wish I'd taped a few KF shows: I still remember them really vividly, but I can't make you a dub of that!

Kinky Foxx - So Different (Tony Humphries Sure Shot Mix)

Posted by Magnum | 13 comments

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13 comments: to “ Kinky Foxx


  • February 11, 2010 at 12:49 AM  

    If that was the last entry
    If beat electric vanishes in this form
    and if they do not get it
    then it is only and finally time to say thank you, thank you.
    You shaped my musical understanding from the last 40 years like nothing before.

    From Switzerland,

    Cats D


  • February 11, 2010 at 3:22 AM  

    hope it's not boyo,(AND DOES THAT STAND FOR ALL THE OTHER BLOGS OF THIS NATURE,AS I NOTICE FUULUNDIE HAS GONE,A GREAT BLOG JUST LIKE YOURS.) thank you for some really great tuneage,being a disco,boogie,jazz funk lover,and to hear some of those (in some cases)forgotten gems once more has been a blast.

    all the very best in whatever endevour you choose.

    kind regards
    SOULIE,
    (A WELSHMAN IN SPAIN)


  • February 11, 2010 at 6:16 AM  

    look forward to hearing this mix, it took me years to track down this record.

    thanks for all the monster jams you have posted,

    your blog has been part of my weekly routine for years

    much love and thanks


  • February 11, 2010 at 8:01 AM  

    By Skynet you mean what exactly?? Specifics of this news might help others to prepare! I only noticed kissatlanta.com silently closing, but searches revealed no info...


  • February 11, 2010 at 10:13 AM  

    say it ain't so! i wish that you can continue your public service to all disco & boogie citizens for many years to come but if this really and truly is it....well then thank you, thank you, thank you for all the boogie bliss you brought into my life! but seriously though, it ain't over, right?


  • February 11, 2010 at 10:31 AM  

    No. We are not going away. Google is shutting down a lot of mp3 blogs thats get multiple copyright complaints.

    Our options are either to slowly move the blog off of google's blogger service or, more likely at this stage, simply stop posting anything that could have major record label ownership (hard to do as they bought up the rights to the catalogs of so many of the small independants).

    Anyway, we are not turning off the lights.


  • February 11, 2010 at 1:11 PM  

    Let's hope Google and DMCA sort out their beef. Your blog has been fantastically fun and educating and I have bought plenty of the artists' music on the back of hearing what you post.


  • February 12, 2010 at 4:04 PM  

    Your blog's So Different, You know it's true !
    It has that Ma-gic again, Ma-gic...
    Since it came into our eyes (& ears)
    I felt so quickly that it's Oh So Different
    With youuuuuuu....

    ********************************************************
    ThanXX for keeping up the gOOd work !
    Boo.


  • February 28, 2010 at 4:19 PM  

    Wow! This one is a amazing peace of funky-Vibe, really.
    If similiar music goes online in the near future give me a sign to:
    dj-mr.rus-p@myspace.com


  • March 21, 2010 at 7:07 AM  

    wow loved that so much. amazingly awesome song. wish all songs could make you feel that tingly.


  • April 19, 2010 at 9:05 PM  

    This is the coolest use of the Internet I think. How would I have EVER FOUND THIS otherwise??? Slammin' track!


  • May 16, 2010 at 12:06 PM  

    I loved reading this! I never knew a thing about Kinky Foxx and to know that they were even tied to Johnny Kemp is unreal. Imagine that, the artists we've heard actually have more than we know about, and the only way to have heard it was to have been there in person...


  • September 29, 2013 at 10:59 PM  

    12 inch version of Kinky Foxx's track on the album Mastercuts Rare Groove vol.1. Going for about £40 new and £8 used on amazon.