Two posts in one today, to make up for a week long absence of illegally distributed music via our ragged looking blogspot page, both with circa 1983 London theme, one from me and another from Tom Thump, perhaps the first rare groove DJ I ever heard after first moving to San Francisco a long time ago. I made contact with him whilst searching for a mixtape of his that I used to play on repeat during my train ride into work around the turn of the millennium, he graciously dug into his archive and hooked me up, as well as agreeing to to grace us with a guest mix.

 My contribution today is a one off dance cut by Antiguan expat Wendell 'Del' Richardson, better known as the guitarist in London based Afro Pop band Osibisa. Soul On Fire's hard instrumental is offset by Del's sugary soul vocal, there are two versions of the 12" out there, the Dutch released 'Disco Mix' which I have and am posting here, and a Larry Joseph mixed US release which I actually slightly prefer but unfortunately do not have (have it? get at me, or at least share a rip so I can add it to the post). I'm including the short DJ friendly 'Fire Beats' instrumental seeing as it got tacked onto the recording anyway:

Del Richardson - Soul On Fire (Disco Mix)
Del Richardson - Fire Beats (D.J Trix Mix) 

From DJ Tom Thump:

MAXIMUM JOY FROM A BUNCH OF JAZZ PUNKS.

I know this is a bit different than most of the great music posted on Beat
Electric, but, Rip, Rig & Panic hold a special place in my musical life,
there really was no one like them. The 3 LPs have yet to be reissued
(there has only been a CD Compilation, that is long out of print) and that
is just ridiculous.

Rip Rig + Panic were a post-punk band founded in 1981, who broke up in
1983. They were named after a 1965 jazz album by Roland Kirk. They were
formed by Sean Oliver (bass), Mark Springer (piano, sax, vocals), Gareth
Sager (guitar, sax, keyboards, vocals) and Bruce Smith (drums, percussion)
(the latter two formerly of The Pop Group) with singer Neneh Cherry. Their
other members included saxophonist Flash (David Wright), singer Andrea
Oliver, trumpeter David De Fries and viola-player Sarah Sarhandi.

The group strayed from more conventional post-punk, mixing avantgarde
elements with jazz and led by Cherry's innovative pop/soul singing style.
Their second album, I Am Cold, included a number of tracks featuring jazz
trumpeter Don Cherry, who was Neneh Cherry's stepfather. They also
appeared with Nico on a BBC radio session.

The band notably made a guest appearance in an episode of the British
sitcom The Young Ones performing their 1982 single "You're My Kind of
Climate". Rip Rig + Panic became Float Up CP in 1985, and produced the
album Kill Me in the Morning. The band dissolved shortly thereafter.

Mark Springer has continued to record as a solo artist and has a number of
CDs available. Sean Oliver died in 1990.

Tom's Rip, Rig & Panic Megamix