Saturday, April 26, 2008
Big Apple Productions
This is a record, but also a mix, its a mix on a record. Big Apple Productions #1 came out in 1982 and was a bootleg, tightly edited mix of the current dance smashed of the time. It is consistently cited by DJ's of the era as being influential is inspiring a progression in their mixing style, I think its fun, although too fast paced for my liking to be used as a DJ tool albeit for the run of hi nrg breaks toward the end.
Although uncredited the mix was actually put together by 80's New York scene DJ Mikey D'Merola, one of the few DJ's of the time who still actively spins modern and older dance cuts to this day (I havent heard any of his current mixes but I would very much like to if you have any).
Now here is a contest for you, who can spot every one of the tracks played in this mix? Anyone who posts a complete listing will get a special Beat Electric prize. I'll draw the url of the blog onto an american apparel size small ringer t-shirt using a crayon or something, or give up my last and only bottle of LeBaron's limited edition vinyl cleaning solution.
As an added bonus track I'm also putting up the instrumental version of Mr Flagio's Take A Chance, because nobody else has and I'm nice like that.
Posted by Black Shag | 16 comments
Labels: Mr. Flagio
April 26, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Not so hard:
Sharon Redd "Beat The Street", Heaven 17 "Let me Go", Rocker's Revenge "Walking on Sunshine", Planet Patrol "Play at your own risk", Modern Romance "can you move", bohannon "lets start to dance", clash "magnificent dance", nancy martin "can't believe", pressure drop "rock the house", soul sonic force "planet rock", nairobi "soul makossa", jonzun crew "pack jam", man parrish "hip hop bebop", d-train "keep on", barbara norris "it's heavy", silver connection "get up and boogie (thats right)", aretha franklin "jump to it", madonna "everybody", howard johnson "so fine", james brown "sex machine", then back to rockers revenge "walking on sunshine", yaz "situation", warp 9 "nunk", edwin starr "contact", yaz "don't go", video "thang", d train "d train dub", toney lee "reach up", micheal jackson "don't stop til you get enough", gap band "you drop a bomb on me", steve miller "abracadabra", ABC "the look of love", divine "step by step", bobby o "she has a way", paul parker "right on target", pat cowley "megatron man", divine "shoot your shot, donna summer "i feel love", village people "ymca", ronni griffith "best part of breaking up", lime "baby we're gonna love tonight", pat cowley "menergy", sylvester "do you wanna funk", lime "your love"..
you can bring the cleaner on the 17th no t shirt is necessary.
April 26, 2008 at 1:56 PM
did you spend Saturday morning doing that or did you just get the playlist off the internet? be honest. either way, It looks about right to me.
Expect your special, now non vinyl dissolving, trophy edition LeBaron cleaning fluid at Paradise on the 17th.
April 26, 2008 at 2:24 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.
April 26, 2008 at 2:33 PM
A little dutchman helped me, it wasn't a copy and paste job though. Think of it as crib notes.
Patrick's got a book out with all the disco acetate complete listings. He's also got a fantastic youtube channel (which I linked to a couple comments ago) with a bunch of his collection up. The entire megamix/edits/acetates thing is a very fascinating and strange side of disco that seems to be kind of overlooked these days (maybe because people aren't on the right kind of drugs when they are out dancing).
My favorite thing is dropping a megamix and pretending to look busy. It's like the vinyl equivalent of computer djing.
April 26, 2008 at 2:40 PM
And actually, I don't really need record cleaner or a t shirt but a link to us bottom feeders over at the gemini disco blog would be super appreciated.
April 26, 2008 at 2:55 PM
I remember hearing segments of this megamix dropped in a dj set on london's xfm some years ago. I don't think there is any shame in them for a few creative transitions. Big Apple Productions vol. 2 is also very good, and mixed by the latin rascals, although heavier on the electro on hip hop.
My favorites in my collection are probably the JDC mixers, which are hi nrg but with all the nasty hi nrg vocals edited out and the breaks extended, so it almost sounds like a nu rave mix at the rickshaw stop. I have a couple of good boogie megamixes from the UK, and an interesting one by Gino Soccio of all his hits slickly edited together that was released to accompany an aerobic workout booklet in Canada. I should post that one.
April 26, 2008 at 4:39 PM
At least do the Hi-NRG one and the Gino Soccio one both those sound pretty good. I see how some of those spastic megamixes could be perceived to sound like nu-rave.
I'm thinking like sebastian's "ross ross ross" in particular...
April 29, 2008 at 12:24 AM
Hey mister Beat Electric,
you have NO IDEA how much you pleased me with this post. I've been looking for this remix for AGES. maybe it's hard to believe for Americans like you (?), but at the time this was also played on Belgian radio stations. I taped the remix, but once in the digital download blogspace era, I could never get hold of the same 12 inch in let's say "digital" form. So thanks for sharing this. I thought there also was a b-side or volume 2, no? If you could post that one as well....
Anyway, many many thanks. Greetings from... Belgium!
April 29, 2008 at 12:31 AM
The B side of Big Apple Productions Vol. 1 is actually just the same as the A side, but I have seen subsequent releases all the way up to volume 5, which came out in 1990 I think.
I will record vol. 2 at some point for you guys, its mostly early electro and hip hop but is equally well edited.
April 29, 2008 at 1:45 PM
What's the story behind the Sylvester "funk" edits near the end?
May 5, 2008 at 8:02 AM
This comment has been removed by the author.
May 5, 2008 at 8:26 AM
Ehem what about the missing tracks in D. loves reply ?
Conquest give it to me ( ugh Ugh)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=awAvXPtGrgI
2.54 in the track
Eddy grant walking on sunshine (do it do it hey)
Martin Cirus disco circus under the keys from rockers revenge
Konk Konk Party (Doo it)
Jive rythm trax S.M.U.R.F (hit it)
Jive rythm trax 108 bpm (behind sexmachine)
Carol Jiani Hit n run lover under ABC look of love
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Igx1o47GesI
And the last track aint lime your love
Ps. I use size L
=)
May 5, 2008 at 8:39 AM
@ alex
The beep version of Do you wanna funk comes from a studio 54 compilation that came out in 1982
May 16, 2008 at 8:03 PM
A few more to add:
Human League-Don't You Want Me (Dub) is part of the intro section and the Lime track at the end is "Come & Get Your Love".
Great blog by the way :)
May 30, 2008 at 3:37 AM
Boo-yah!
THX!
February 18, 2009 at 2:25 AM
got this vynil in my bootleg collection ;)
and yes, tracklisting quite easy for oldtimer as me, even easier with Patrick bootleg site (or book as said by D Love)
++
MXR (from belgium)