George Butts-I Love You So Much

While listening to Black Shag's incredible Uptown Express mix I realized that since being invited to contribute to Beat Electric back in June 2011 I haven't contributed a mix. On Sunday I grabbed a bunch of records that had been kicking around in my dj boxes and threw this together.  Ranges from some common dollar bin stuff to not so common.  I included a couple gospel boogie tracks to make up for blasting the hifi while a neighboring church was in session.

November 2012 Beat Electric Mix

Live Band - A Chance For Hope
Phase II - Follow Me
United Voice Players - Disco 5000 pt. II
J.D. Hall - Freak On Down
Risan - Eastern Palace Pt. 2
O'mar - Satisfaction
Warren G. Burris ft. Michell - I've Got It
Conway Brothers - Raise The Roof (Instrumental)
Azar Lawrence - Keep It Hot
9th Creation - Maybe
Kenny Smith - Holding On
Black Ivory - Hold On Tight
Chad - Voluptuous
TFO - Friend Of Mine
Junie Morrison - Jarr The Ground
Clockwork - I'm Your Candy Girl (Instrumental)
Funk Deluxe - Part Time Lover
Chas - I'm Going To Give You All Of Me
Lee Moore - Do You Feel Like A Party
Brian & Zan - Pump Your Body
Candye - Lover Boy
Ronnie Diamond & Nu Ohio Players - Playgirl
Rashawn - You're The One
Mint Cookie - Sweet Things to "G"

As far as uptempo gospel boogie goes, I think this is pretty much the alpha and omega of all things. Sanctuary's 'I Am Going To Love Him' is of course written about Jesus, and whomever wrote it obviously felt strongly about the subject matter as the track bangs and is without doubt the best record the ever spotty Montage label put out. In fact I can't think of another good one, maybe that French language cover of Billy Jean as a ten million mile away second place. Tom Browne is the only notable on this cut, his solo lp cut sampled by Coolio or someone from that era, which must have been nice, lucky fellow. He never made much of his solo career but was one of the stand out session guitarists on the circuit, and I think his rhythm part on this is one of his best.

Sanctuary - I'am Going To Love Him (Vocal)
Sanctuary - I'am Going To Love Him (Instrumental)

I'm also putting up a 320kps version of a mix I did for Ulysses32's radio show, Uptown Express, back in March..

The BlackShag - Uptown Express Guest Mix

I know it's passe to still rep Roy Ayers in 2012, but this one still sounds fresh and is one of his harder to find releases. Eighties Ladies was a one off project on Roy Ayers' Uno Melodic label featuring vocals from Sylvia Striplin, Susan Beaubian, Marva Hicks, Vivian Prince, and Denie Corbett. Edwin Birdsong contributed to the production. Definitely a top set of disco funk, here are a couple of my favorite tracks. Hope Soulie likes this one.

Eighties Ladies - Tell Him
Eighties Ladies - It's Easy To Move

 Continuing on the Italo Funk theme with one of my favorites, Tom Hooker. Tom was an American who happened to grow up in central Europe, he was discovered in Italy in the early 80's by some record producers who aided him in forming a career in Italian pop music that lasted until the early 90's, when he eventually returned to the US, got married and changed his name so that his wife could avoid being called 'Mrs. Hooker'. Those in the LA abstract photography scene may know him better as Tom Barbey, you can see some of his work here.

 Tom is also somewhat of a champ, and if I by some divine grace or good fortune I live to see my middle age, I wish to be just like him. He's looking great, and has decided to revive his italo pop career, has a couple of new videos, and whats more has kicked off a beef with Italo contemporary Den Harrow, a bozo that to this day still lip syncs over the legend Tom Hooker's songs in eastern European shopping malls and claims them as his own. Check Tom calling homey out in this video.. 


Tom Hooker - Come Back Home (Vocal)
Tom Hooker - Come Back Home (Instrumental)
Tom Hooker - Talk With Your Body (Vocal)
Tom Hooker - Talk With Your Body (Instrumental)
Tom Hooker - Indian Girl

Ago was a long running Italo project based around the voice and long haired, gothy porn star image of Agostino Presta, veering into soft pop rock as the 80's wore on, but rooted in the Italo funk sound during the early part of the decade.

Lots of top synthy Italo producers spread across the Ago singles, but the first couple of releases had the Cavalieri brothers working the keys and as such are stand outs.

I'm putting up two cuts from 'For You' the first album, as well as an instrumental from their first (and I think only?) US single release:

Ago - Trying Over
Ago - For You
Ago - You Make Me Do It (Instrumental)

I found this record recently while digging through a box of sleeveless 45s. The classic generic label stock with pink to white gradient caught my eye. Fortunately I dropped to needle to find this haunting and mellow seductive funk track rather than some rap or freestyle shrapnel. This is a quality California indie production from on of the best years for funk: 1987. There is an earlier release of this track from 1984 by Laurie Roberts, maybe someone with the 12" can tell me if that version is different (as far as I can tell from the shit quality youtube videos out there it is the same).

This one is a sought after 'slapper' in the Orange County low rider funk scene, but the 45 actually originates from Memphis, where Tom Sanders recently re-emerged, reviving his long running James Brown tribute act and a new CD, with Johnny Scott, the same producer and deep south TV personality that worked with him on these indie funk jams back in the early eighties..


 Check out this interview that was published just a month ago in a smalltime local Tennessee rag (click to read)..  

"Remembered for his pioneering television program – "The Johnny Scott Show" on WREG – back in the day, Scott had hung up his microphone and was operating his own small label, Portra Records, when he found Sanders at a nightclub in Brownsville. After finding they were compatible, the two decided to collaborate and released a string of singles." 

Tom Sanders - I'll Get To That

Richard Bush And Orbit appears to be a one off studio project, Richard Bush subsequently falling off the face of the earth, but co-producers Barry Yearwood and Warren Dorris getting a few more garage and freestyle releases under their belts before the 80's are up.

A lady drops science knowledge throughout the track, telling you about the circumference of a sphere, how to calculate the the longest edge of a triangle, and some other useful shit that doesn't really come up as often as it should in conscious funk lyrics. Although that being said, confusingly the record label is marked as being 33rpm but the record actually plays at 45rpm, so she obviously wasn't that clever.

Richard Bush And Orbit ‎– Solar Flight

This is from 1983 on Sue Records International and happens to be one of my favorite tracks of all time! Kaiya Matthews was one of the singers for the ADC Band, a mildy successful band from the early 70's early 80's. Kaiya went on to release a few more records in the late 80's on Northern Records but none of later tracks have the hood rat appeal of "Scandalous". The song is basically about Kaiya being into a party don who every other lady wants to get a piece of and not caring that he is getting his. The track title encapsulates the song perfectly, and in the words of Latarian Milton "it's fun to do bad things".

Kaiya-Scandalous

 I'm headed back to England next weekend, the trip was unexpected and sadly its not all fun, but I'm there for a couple of weeks and hoping to get some record shopping in, maybe a few days on the mainland too.

 The UK are competitive hunting grounds, with lots of domestic recordings as well as decades worth of imports, more DJ's, collectors and obsessives per capita than anywhere else, a nation of black music lovers and taste makers, every record store is expensive and the dealers educated and mercenary to the core. I'm no expert record buying there by any means, but I did grow up there before coming to the states and have a couple of theories. Firstly forget the big cities, you will find plenty of what you want but it will be hanging up in plastic on the wall waiting for a tourist such as yourself to come buy it for the top end of market rate, where is the sport in that? When I go I hit up the small coastal towns north of London, especially the dying and forgotten resort areas. Strange, grey, windswept, Victorian built colonies often in beautiful settings, but full of unwelcoming eccentrics. These places had their hey day in sixties, seventies and early eighties, in the era before cheap flight and package holidays to Southern Europe shrank their economies and turned them into seaside nursing homes. There would be small discos and nightclubs in the larger more popular beachtowns during the British northern soul and jazz funk eras, and I have found remnants from those collections from time to time.

 I was thinking about the last time I went, and pulled out this record that I bought at a village post office near Cromer, old ladies would line up to get their pension money or send a postcard, and by their feet were boxes and crates of records, taking up most of the floor space. I pulled out a minty copy of the spacey 'disco burner', Candido's Thousand Finger Man as well as a bunch of other brit funk, turns out the post master was a collector back in the day when the cliff top caravan parks were full of city dwellers on vacation and looking to party. A typically English digging experience if you get off the beaten track. This recording isn't from the copy I scored there, its actually a late nineties remaster from the original master tapes, I heard it and thought they did a great job so I'm using it instead..

Candido - Thousand Finger Man (12" version)

I wrote this post earlier this evening, it was originally supposed to be a cool, dub version of Serious Intention's garage hit You Don't Know. I cleaned the record because it was filthy, moved some sort of potted tree that had ended up infront of the recording rig, turned on the computer, I have this 8 year old Toshiba laptop connected to the MOTU recording interface that sits on a shelf and does nothing but rip records, but it takes half a lifetime to boot up.. I ripped the record, moved the plant back, transfered the wav over to another computer from the modern age to do a little post prod and convert it to mp3, tagged it, put it on the server, read a couple of biographies of the producer and wrote up some blurb on blogspot, chose a picture by trawling around some weird flickr groups, published the post, tweeted about it and linked it on facebook, then promptly tried to get on with my bleak existence. Ben txt's me 10 minutes later to tell me that he already posted the same track a few months back and that I should delete it and put up something else.

So I'm posting Sexy Dancer by Donald Bird..

Donald Byrd & 125th Street, N.Y.C. - Sexy Dancer

Miami dance records always seem to have a certain unique sound, and Noel Williams' Konduko label's output is no exception. Williams was born in Jamaica and cut his teeth working at the legendary Studio One. In the 70s he moved to Miami and started producing disco records on his own label Konduko and others like T.K. Disco.
"Haven't Been Funked Enough" is a hype track that always gets my blood going. There is a definite proto-house feel to the arpeggiated bass line. The janky dubbed out mixing and arrangement style is great as well, I am a big fan of raw productions.  Noel Williams is also the producer behind "Get Down" by Connie Case, a classic Beat Electric spin.

Extra - Haven't Been Funked Enough

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 A reader wrote in and donated some nice sounding rips of two rare 12"s from his collection, one of which I had been after for a while and the other I had never heard of. This was very agreeable, as he had done a great job with the recordings and I get to make a post and share the wealth without putting in any effort. If you want to share a secret weapon, or you simply want to artificially increase the ebay/discogs demand of some obscurity your are trying to hock, then please, by all means send it in. Thank you spacemanrecords.

 Expression was an act out of Maryland, they had a couple of singles, one of which 'Expression' made it onto a couple of comps a few years ago in edited form, which I think took parts from the A and B side and pasted them together, after which I had always been on the look out for the real deal, but alas. Thankfully we now have mp3's of both sides of the original wax by virtue of a stranger's kindness.

 Renegade's 'A Fine Time' is perhaps the youngest track we have ever posted here, even including the occasional classic house track here and there, with a youthful funk vintage of 1989, this year onward is dangerous acid jazz revival territory, but it sounds like it could have come out in 1985. This one will set you back some ducats.

Expression - Release Disco
Expression - Release (Part 1)
Expression - Release (Part 2)
Renegade - A Fine Time
Renegade - A Fine Time (Instr)

 Me and my friend Jimmy were looking through a couple of crates of records at a spot in a forgotten corner of San Jose, the old geezer who ran the place sold doo wop and surf rock but had come into a few boxes of old 80's dance 12" singles that his was offloading indiscriminately, siloed like garbage in a corner, safely away from his Elvis memorabilia. We took a box each and flipped through, handing scores back and forth and Jimmy in his benevolence passed me this beaten e.p by The Pool, telling me it was good and that I could have it as he already had a copy, I didn't thank him, for that would be admitting ignorance, and put it in my pile to be forgotten.

 I was looking through my shelves today for a totally different record that I was planning on recording to post up, couldn't find it as per usual, but in the process came across this record and finally decided to give it a listen. It was good.

 The Pool was Patrick Keel, a drummer in several Austin new wave and punk bands who went solo with this dark wave electro outing in 1982. This e.p follows an album, both on Moment Productions, a label that released records by I think one of the most overlooked punk bands that I know of (not that I know that many), Austin's own The Big Boys.

 Patrick is still in the industry, teaching Music Business at a media college in Irving, TX.

 The A side, Dance It Down, was supposed to be two tracks, a vocal and a dub, but after I recorded it I couldn't tell where one began and the other ended, they just blend together, so I'm putting the entire side up as a single track. You'll figure it out, if it even matters, which I doubt it does as it still sounds good.

The Pool - Dance It Down + Dance In Dub
The Pool - Jamaica Running
The Pool - Jamaica Resting

Here is a rare female-produced funk song from Jackki Milligan. "Got Me Burnin' Up" has an all star lineup of musicians including Latin percussionist Willie Bobo, jazz-funk guitarist David T. Walker, and Darryl Roberts from Mighty Fire on synthesizer. Synth work on this record is especially great with nice bass line and the perfect hook. Jakki also released an earlier 7" version that is more rare. I prefer the harder synth funk approach of the 12", though the 7" is still great and would appeal to modern soul fans. Apparently Jakki realized she had a hit on her hands and assembled a great crew to re-record an updated more club friendly version. I'm glad she did. This record also has the distinction of having the most exhaustive musician credits on the label of any I've encountered with the majority of its real estate devoted to text.


Jakki - Got Me Burnin Up

 Known for his duets with Alyson Williams and a handful of modern soul releases on Def Jam in the mid eighties, Chuck Stanley is still apparently working but I can't dig much up on what he has been getting into recently. 'I Want You Here' is his 12" debut from 1984 on Starlite records, it was produced by Olufemi Fasehun, who has a few synth heavy New York scene singles to his credit, one of which inparticular always seems to allude me on ebay and never shows up in the crates.


 I love the keyboard lead on this one, its relentless..


Chuck Stanley - I Want You Here (Vocal)
Chuck Stanley - I Want You Here (Instrumental)

Though he is from New York City, DJ and producer Tony Carrasco is considered a pioneer of the Italo Disco sound.  This is a recurring theme in the history of recorded music, Americans being unable to recognize and appreciate the quality of their own most talented musicians.  Many of Tony's productions never saw a proper U.S. release. His most famous contribution to dance music was being one half of Klein & M.B.O. and co-writing and producing the classics "Dirty Talk" and "Wonderful".
Here is one of Tony's harder to find productions, an Italian-only 12" from 1983 under the group name Gongs Gang.  This tune is an excellent piece of Italo-boogie and fortunately the vocals aren't too wonky to screw up the great production.

update: instrumental added by request. enjoy.

Gongs Gang - Gimme Your Love (vocal)
Gongs Gang - Gimme Your Love (instrumental)

 Crossing the Willis Avenue Bridge, Scott found an ad in the newspaper for an upstart, do-everything entertainment company called Rock Candy Records and Filmworks. They fished through their pockets, found some change and a pay phone, and called. As Scott got directions to their office, Kris scribbled a B-boy character holding a radio. That sketch became the logo for B-Boy Records, the label Rock Candy entrusted them to found.

The Paragons who recorded this record might be the very same Paragon's who appeared on so many sweet male vocal group reggae 45's during the same period, I wouldn't be surprised, but can't say for sure as no names on this 12" release seem to match up, but elements of the production are the same even though this is a proto house tinged modern soul recording..

The Paragons with The Love Machine Orch. - Don't Go Nowhere 

The RAH Band is the brainchild of studio musician and producer Richard A. Hewson who had previously worked with such acts as The Beatles, Diana Ross, and Supertramp. This track needs no introduction, especially since it has been gaining traction after being played on a Stones Throw podcast via none other than Dam Funk a while back. This is one of those songs that immediately grabs your attention and never lets go, and I totally lose my shit once the synth solo starts. This is classic 1983 greatness, enjoy this track while spaced out!

RAH Band-Messages From The Stars (Long Wave Mix)



I also have a special treat for all you boogie monsters out there! Snacking is one of my favorite past times, especially when those snacks come in the form of rare boogie tracks. This is a special mix put together by my man Eddy Funkster from L.A's Funkmosphere crew. From start to finish, this mix runs the gamut of hard to find songs and rarities. Per usual, this mix is all 45's and pure aural goodness! Track list will be up in the comments soon unless one of you is cavalier enough to provide it before I can.

Eddy Funkster-Boogie 45 Snacks Mix

 Some euro trash in fluorescent green sunglasses surprised me by asking me about this record during our head to head poolside DJ set vs the Funkmosphere crew this weekend. His thick continental accent formed itself awkwardly around the California hip jive he had picked up so far on holiday, as he either asked me what I was playing, or why I was playing it. I couldn't quite penetrate the quasi Italian rap speak, so I chose to hear what I wanted to hear and told the poor fun loving soul everything I knew about The Batiste Band, which isn't much..

 Starlite was an early (perhaps first) self released 7" by the locally rated New Orlean deep funk act, they would go on to make a highly regarded a hard to find disco funk EP in the early eighties and would release a couple more electro funk 7"s on their own label all the way up until 1985, all on their own Dynasty Records imprint, mostly sold at their live shows on the deep south's soul circuit. This is the instrumental side, it has a touch of the starsky & hutch to it but the breakdowns are epic, slightly psychedelic and I very lament that this is the only 7" of theirs that I have. I wish I knew where I got it from..

Starlite - Batiste Band 

Curtis Hairston was a prolific singer/song writer and one of my favorite male vocalist from the 80's . I was first hooked when I heard his vocals on The BB&Q Band's LP "Genie" where he lent his voice on the smooth jam "Dreamer" as well as some other background vocals on that album. He caught his break with the 1983 jam "I Want You (All Tonight)" released on Pretty Pearl Records and he followed up that success with "I Want Your Lovin" in 1985. Both of his tracks are pretty slamming but I prefer the '85 single more so I thought it would be a great tune to share. In typical 80's fashion it is what I guess you would call a "cheesy" love song but it never fails to get people on the floor. I also highly recommend checking out the next level music video he did for this song, it is such a beast!

Curtis Hairston-I Want Your Lovin'
Curtis Hairston-I Want Your Lovin' (Dub)

And since I have been lagging on the posts, here is an excellent mix from the LA Funk Lord and Funkmosphere resident Eddy Funkster. This mix is all 45's and full of records you wish you had! I had the track list written down somewhere but I have since lost it but I will put in the comments once I get it together.

Eddy Funkster Rare 45 mix

Here is another one-off funk track from a producer who quit while he was ahead and moved on to the greener pastures of the hip hop industry. Michael McCray aka Mike Fresh released one track for New York based Top Flight Records in 1982. This tune is boogie perfection with great synthesizer arrangements and a certain flavor that only seems to come from Florida producers. There are a couple different versions of this 12", apparently the original black/silver version is even noisier than the also lo-fi but improved red label pressing.

To the best of my knowledge Mike Fresh McCray still lives in Miami where he runs Mike Fresh Productions. Based on a photo on his myspace page a more recent claim to fame may be some production credit on the New Jack City soundtrack. He continues to produce for local rappers, if you need some beats get at him!

Michael McCray - Bring Your Love Back

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

Time to keep chipping away at the Patrick Adams discography with this 1977 gem. This track features his classic Arp 2600 patch and some dubbed out production. For the sound quality nerds, this is recorded from an original 1977 copy not one of the similar looking recent represses. There is a bit of tape noise particularly during the breakdown probably due to the open extended remixing. This track was also sampled/replayed by the Sunburst Band with their song "Everyday".

Marta Acuna - Dance, Dance, Dance (Disco Version)

My brain was heavily serotonin deficient from desert parties and what not but I finally mustered the energy to share some tracks. First off is an Italo boogie track from 1983 by High Resolution! As usual the vocals leave more to be desired but the bass line is fresh! This was composed by Paolo del Prete and Marco Fatali and was released on SPQR.

High Resolution-Sweepin' Off
Next up are my two favorite tracks from Glenn Jones' 1984 LP called "Finesse" which came out on RCA Records. Both tracks have pretty dreamy synthesizers and Glenn's voice is spot on. Let me know how the tracks sound, I just got my vinyl ripping R2D2 working.

Glenn Jones-It Hurts Too Much
Glenn Jones-Finesse

I always thought we must have posted this years ago, but doing a search it looks like we never have, so in an effort to right this minor injustice I'm going to put up both sides of Caprice's overlooked dollar bin classic, 100%.

There isn't much to say about this one, if you look at the credits its an all star cast, Leroy Burgess, the Aleems, Leroy's cousin Sonny Davenport. The only real question that remains is who is the vocalist? If she got a credit I can't see it on the label, I know the same vocalist sang as Caprice on a couple of other indie Chicago area releases, also produced by Leroy and the Aleems, but her identity is still shrouded in mystery.

Caprice - 100% (Vocal)
Caprice - 100% (Instrumental)

The Beat Electric crew has been deep in the world of Carmen as of late. After a series of record release parties in SF, LA and Costa Mesa in March, it feels like it's about time to wind things down a bit and start thinking about what our next 12" reissue will be.

In the meantime here's one more track produced by Kevin McCord. This smooth jam from 1987 is probably his rarest release alongside the killer Snooky cut that folks are paying ridiculous amounts of money for these days.

Also check out Carmen's full length debut album right here.

Stinger J. - Pretty Face (45 Version)
Stinger J. - Pretty Face (12" Version)
Stinger J. - Pretty Face (Instrumental)

Ralph Hennings was a German synth pop producer, heavily involved in the ZYX label from around 1983 to 1987, having a hand in a lot of their output. His 1984 solo project, Hypnotic Samba may be a little on the hard 4/4 side for many, but I don't post much Italo and this one disappeared off of the internet a while ago due to people's media share site links expiring or being taken down, old italo blogs disappearing etc, so by request I found my copy and here it is yet again:

Hypnotic Samba - Hypnotic Samba

These are two funk tracks I have been spinning a lot lately. The synth bass on both of these tracks is pure squelchy quality. The synth and bass guitar combo on Chaz's New York dance floor workout is especially great. Chaz delivers a real winner here with dubbed out extended mixing production and a nice fake out ending. He must have been really feeling this track to rinse it so hard. I'm glad he did. Bromar's Call Me Up is more digital Minneapolis funk with some tasteful sampler use and a classic phone call breakdown.

 I made a guest mix for Ulysses82's London based radio show, Uptown Express. You have to listen to me stumble through a long winded story about how Carmen's Time To Move re-issue came about for about 10 minutes, but now the show is up on soundcloud you can use technology to forward past my enlightened conversation at any point you feel your frontal lobes were about to suffer damage and get straight to listening to me stumble through a DJ set instead.

 At the time I made a bold statement on air that I would gift a copy of the Time To Move re-issue as well as an original copy of Carmen's 1985 track  Throw Down  on 7" to anyone who can spot 7 of tracks from the mix, a decision which I hadn't really thought through at the time and sort of regret, but whats done is done.

Leave a comment on their soundcloud or whatever.

Spring is nearly upon us and that means that it is time to polish up those roller skates. This funky jam came out in 1978 on Earwax Records out of Detroit. I like its PROTO-proto house sound. I don't really know anything about the group other than that they put out a couple of LPs and singles. Their first record came out in1977 and is easier to find than their 1978 LP that contains this single. I think it is ripe for an edit to remove the chorus; here is what you need to make it happen.

Hunt's Determination - Rollerskate
Hunt's Determination - Rollerskate (Instrumental)

Here is a laid back 1984 track with some deep production from Buddy Turner. Buddy worked on a lot of tracks on Philly World Records including Q's masterpiece The Voice of Q. Pamela Joy's sole release is a great example of the classy sparse '84 funk sound with especially great synth stabs that will keep haunting you long after your first listen.

Pamela Joy - Think Fast

Pamela Joy - Think Fast (instrumental)

If you are in or around San Francisco we are having our record release party for the 12" re-issue of Carmen's Time To Move at Sweaterfunk this Sunday. Held at China Town's Li Po lounge.

For everyone else, here is one of my favorite afro boogie tracks of all time, it has been bootlegged twice in the past 10 years or so, the original from time to time making it's way out of Nigeria into the hands of European record dealers..

I have to leave the apartment, I'll finish the rest of this post later.. its epic, trust me..

William Onyeabor - Body And Soul

Here is a special guest mix by our friend Randy Hotthobo Ellis, we hope you enjoy it. He used to run a night here in San Francisco called Grow Up. The name was a tongue in cheek poke at Blow Up, a dance party for barely post pubescent kids who wear neon. Grow Up was an adult party for well mannered boogie fiends. Randy also co-owns Voltaire Records, a label specializing in new tunes in the electro, boogie, and kraut vein; check it out.

Tracklist:
1. Junei - Let's Ride (Pharoahs)
2. First Love - It's A Mystery To Me (Chycago International Music)
3. Kadenza - Let's Do It (PRT)
4. Geno Jordan - You're A Peachtree Freak On A Peachtree Street Part III (PPU)
5. Ocie III - Return On Love (Chycago International Music/Boogie Times)
6. Jady Kurrent Band - Standing There (Starstream)
7. Silk, Satin & Lace - Always (Sunrise Productions)
8. Dr. Togo - Be Free (Derby)
9. Gianni Riso - Disco Shy (Goody Music)
10. Advance - Take It To The Top (X Energy)
11. Delegation - Darlin' I Think About You (Ariola)
12. Jewel - Paradise (Lotus Land)
13. J Parker Band - Live Lady (Tenya)
14. Ish - Don't Stop (TK Disco)
15. Tom Hooker - Talk With Your Body (Fulltime)
16. Evo - Din Don (Cultura & Musica)
17. Fonzi Thornton - Beverly (RCA)
18. Alfreda James & Billy Ray - Back To Love (Rappers Rapp Disco Co)
19. Windjammer - I Thought It Was You (MCA)
20. Toney Lee - Love So Deep (Instrumental) (Radar)
21. Wind Chymes - Baby Your The One (Lotus Land)

Softly Shafted - A Mix By Hotthobo

I wish I could write you something about the history of disco rap in Quebec, but I can't as all I have is this one record, and the label doesn't give much information to go on other than that the heavy funk backing band is noted as being 'Rhythm Section Montreal Rock' and it came out on "O' Bey Music".

If you are from Montreal and you know more, please share it with us.

Kebec Star - Gotta Take You Higher (Vocal)
Kebec Star - Gotta Take You Higher (Instrumental)

Here are a couple of jams I picked up in NYC. I have been looking for this Ragtyme record for years and was so glad to find it. Unfortunately, my hectic travel schedule put a slight warp in it but it plays OK on my Beogram. I grabbed a bunch of nice early techno and house records in NYC; I don't think they don't know how good they have it over there.

Ragtyme was a project produced by Marshall Jefferson and represents soulful deep house at its best. There is plenty of smooth with lots of edge to keep it interesting. This 12" was mixed by Frankie Knuckles and features remixes by Lil Louis and Ron Hardy.

This 1988 tune by Innercity reworked by Derrick May is an early techno masterpiece. It was produced by Kevin Saunderson.

Ragtyme - I Can't Stay Away (Ron Hardy's Club Mix)
Innercity - Big Fun (Mayday Re-Edit)

Denroy Morgan is a Jamaican expat, moving to Brooklyn as a teenager. He is famous for his roots reggae sound but in the early eighties had a string of well known disco hits on Beckett records. He has apparently fathered over 30 children, 10 of which are either rotating in his backing band or gigging on the New York reggae scene. BeatElectric admires the virility and power of his loins/roots electrofunk fusion.

Happy Feeling was a lesser known hit compared to I'll Do anything For You, thats maybe why it's instrumental doesn't seem to be up anywhere, but unlike I'll Do Anything For You with it's strong standout vocal I think the strength of this one was in the mid tempo disco funk backing track found on the flip..

Denroy Morgan - Happy Feeling (Instrumental)

Here are a couple of cool cuts from 1984. 1984 was an interesting year for music. The boogie greatness of 1982 was fizzling out, electro was king, and house was just getting started. These tracks highlight where genres converged and coalesced into some strange hybrids.

This first track by Zero Hour shows a lot of electro influence and can easily pass as a theme song for the oft overlooked comedy masterpiece Fletch Lives. Seems like it could have been produced by Herbie Hancock or Jan Hammer with a little help from Egyptian Lover.

The next track by Leon Love is an odd bird produced by proto house legend Patrick Adams with Ron Mindseed. It sounds a bit like electro coming dangerously close to Hi-NRG territory. Almost too close; but us in the Bay Area have a very low threshold for it.

Zero Hour - The Dark Side (Dub)
Leon Love - Once Is Enough (Dub)

We've covered Maurizio Sangineto's productions before on this site. Firefly was a dance music group composed of fellow Italians and released four LPs during their career. This track was a big tune at the Garage. The uplifting vocals get me every time. I also really like the brave use of some dynamic range in this 12" mix. It is rare to hear jams like this with such an impact when the beat comes in after the breakdown.

Firefly - Love (Is Gonna Be On Your Side)

Carol Shinnette put records out on Oakland's 'Optune' label. Don't ever call the 415 number printed on the front of her 7" sleeves, as the gentleman on the other end of the line will threaten to kill you. This B.E have learned the hard way.

Although the record is claiming our hometown, it turns out it was actually produced in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where Carol still resides to this day.

Carol Shinnette - Handsome Man

A younger and hipper DJ friend whose taste I admire bought a bunch of records and played me a couple from his haul that he thought I would like. One was a weird, left field, boogie proto rap type edit by a producer that he was into. I recognized it, and took smug, nauseating, sad dickhead like pleasure in telling him that I owned a copy of the original record that the edit was sourced from, but for the life of me couldn't remember what it was called, so I asked him to tell me the name and artist of the track but he couldn't, because whomever had done the edit had stuck his own name all over it and obscured that of the original artist. We then had an animated discussion as to the ethics of this sort of thing. I own plenty of bootlegs, and sometimes you simply can't find the original artists behind some of these more obscure records but none the less they deserve a repress for more people to play out and enjoy, there isn't much money in these short vinyl runs anyway, but can you really take the original artist's name off the track (I think it was obscured down to a two letter initial in this case) and stick yours on simply because you extended the drum intro? Perhaps the guy didn't want anyone to know the OG cut's name but why the secrecy? I see it a lot, it just seems like an exploitative way to prop up your own brand. I mean, you don't have to pay the guy who made the song that you looped up, but at least leave his name on there alongside yours.

Anyway, I went through my shelves and found it. Terrance Tee seems to have produced a couple of known early rap and boogie 45's that I have seen in auction lots etc, but this 12" doesn't seem to be listed anywhere. It came out on 'New York Town Records' and was written by Terrance Moore (no doubt Terrance Tee himself) and produced by T. Marcini. I cannot find anything on either of these people.

My copy is signed in scribbled pen "To Terri, From the M.C, Terrance Tee" . Terri, wherever you are, thank you for getting rid of this weird, weird record.

Terrance Tee - She's A Party Girl (Vocal)
Terrance Tee - She's A Party Girl (Instrumental)

Here is a great disco boogie jam produced in part by drummer Howard King. He was a member of Mtume's band and also contributed to some great LPs from Gary Bartz, D-Train, Eddie Henderson, and Stephanie Mills. This tune has pretty amazing breakdown and is just great soulful dance music start to finish. Definitely a sleeper and a kinda tough pull from the RCA disco 12" catalog.

Candy Bowman - I Wanna Feel Your Love

Here is a late Christmas present. If my theory is true, and this is the only Minnesota disco rap ever recorded, then it also holds true that it is also the best one. To my ear its one of my top 5 disco raps of all time, the 1980 style party delivery with the 1985 era instrumentation make it unique. Sir Nature Alexander was a transplant to Minneapolis from Atlanta and became a well known fixture of the local music entertainment scene, most notably as the city's best breakdance instructor, going on to host his own show on local TV, and also working as a singer and producer on the Minneapolis funk circuit.

Sir Nature has a rare 1986 solo album with more of a contemporary for the time Minneapolis scene sound, but I don't own it sadly. He has been producing records constantly up and to this day, now more in the vein of Southern soul styled r'n'b, you can find Sir Nature Alexander current work here:

http://www.myspace.com/newjackblues

And you can find the first ever(?) rip of his electro masterpiece here:

Nature - The Prep

The Bell family from Youngston, Ohio produced three brothers who made immense contributions to the jazz/disco/funk scene in the 70s and 80s. Robert and Ronald Bell formed a group The Jazziacs that eventually became Kool & The Gang. Kevin Bell, also known by his Arabic name Amir Bayyan, formed Kool protege group The Kay Gees. Kevin was a prolific musician and producer, also playing in the group Forecast and producing jams for Armenta, LaToya Jackson, Tomorrow's Edition, and Jimmy Cliff. Here is one of his tight one-off tracks under the name Candela released in 1982 and mastered by Herb Powers Jr.

Candela - Love You Madly (extended version)

So yeah this italo track from 1984 is probably one of the most lyrically confusing songs of all time. The vocalist implores you to "get down" all while scorning the concept of cheating and engaging in threesomes. Seems to be a bit counter intuitive to the general 80's disco vibe, but that aside Get Down is a hot track.

Mirage - Get Down