Many people have been inquiring what the BeatElectric crew actually look like. It seems to be a real point of interest, which is a shame, as the blog was supposed to be about rare dance records and not our perceived celebrity status, which doesn't really mean anything to us as we are millionaires who live outside and above the normal restrictions and tier structure of society, but seeing as so many of you asked I'm posting the above picture of Kelley B, taken the other night at our two year anniversary party roller dance jam. This is a rare photo of Kelley smiling and as such is now a treasured part of the BE archives.

Today I'm posting three records that happened to be sat on the top of my stack, there is no theme or thread that links them other than I listened to them yesterday. An overlooked, weird disco banger, a mellow electro funk instrumental, and probably my favorite megamix record of all time...and so, with that, on to the crusty vinyl..

Blackwell's Boogie Down And Mess Around was my first signature disco tune. Its an album cut that was popular on the danefloor's of Spain (?) back in 1979, I have found two copies on separate occasions of Thrift Town, the ghetto thrift store on Mission in SF, both with the special edition strawberry red vinyl, and both with the awesome album cover of the naked chicks chasing one another. This should be an all time peak hour disco classic, why am I the only one that I know of who plays it? I gave my spare copy away, and that DJ doesn't play it either, wtf, am I off the mark on this one?

DO NOT BE IMPATIENT AND SKIP THROUGH THE TRACK..WAIT..sit through the intro and wait for the drop on this, it destroys dancefloors..

Blackwell - Boogie Down And Mess Around

I picked up this Fatback record in Norwich for a few quid, I hadn't heard of it before, its a lovely dubbed out electro boogie instrumental with a mellow swing to it. I will be playing it as I bbq octopus for the rest of the crew this afternoon. Life sucks..

Fatback - The Girl Is So Fine (Dance Version)

International press agencies like to claim that I'm the greatest DJ to ever come out of San Francisco via Norwich, and I'm flattered, but really instead of long articles about me, my fluctuating weight and the suicidal angst of whomever I have just kicked to the curb/broken up with, they should be writing about the true king of San Francisco, my man Cameron Paul. Producer of Salt'n'Peppa's Push It, collector of platinum records, and an early mentor of LeBaron's prior to LeBaron's tragic fall from grace with the bay area nightclub community of that period. A tale deserving of a post in itself.

I found this megamix at the famous yard sale in Redwood City, it was on the Mixx It label, a DJ subscription service and was on the B side of maybe Mixx It Volume 44 from 1993, the A side having some exclusive Janet Jackson remixes on it. I can't find the record right now, I lost it about 5 minutes after recording it, but I think the mix is called something like Journey Into The Old School (The Final Chapter) pt. 3 . If you have parts 1 and 2 of this mix off of earlier Mixx It records, then please, for the love of god, write in as Cameron Paul no longer picks up my calls. Short Ableton edited megamixes are popular right now, but has anyone of those kids put together a 15 minute mix of 30 or tracks that compares to this? He probably did this in the studio, with a bored look on his face, on the turntables in one take without a single time stretch or cracked serial number.

Cameron Paul - Journey Into The Old School (The Final Chapter) Part 3

I will let Donna McGhee tell her own story:

"I have been a professional singer since 1974, my first singing group I joined after singing gospel all my life, was called "THE FATBACK BAND". Our first album was called Rasing hell, and the hit single off of that LP, was called "BUS STOP". I sang with Fatback for over three years, touring with such groups as "Chaka khan", "Frankie Beverly and Maze". "Crown Heights Affair", and "Tedddy Pendergrass". We traveled all over the world. After completing several albums with them, the last LP we recorded with the late great "Phyllis Hyman". In 1977, I signed with a company called Red Greg Records, and we worked with the great Producer Patrick Adams. We recorded several hit records at that time. UNIVERSAL ROBOT BAND was created along with BUMBLEE UNLIMITED, which lead to several hits such as, "DANCE AND SHAKE YOUR TAMBORINE", and "LOVE BUG". Most of the songs recorded were disco hits, and were played at The Paradise Gargage, and Studio 54. While recording with different groups, the company signed me with an Exclusive Recording contract, and my first solo album was created. It was called "MAKE IT LAST FOREVER", traveling from one side of the country to the other, the hit single "It ain't no big thing" was making a huge buzz. While the album was being played all over the country, and other countries such as Japan, England and France. "Love Bug" was up for a Grammy Award, and I was fortunate enough to do the Dick Clark New Years Eve show twice. After my contract was up, I signed under Obago Records, where we recorded "YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME", written by Phillip Thomas from CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIRS ..."

"You Should Have Told Me" is a rare 12" released in 1979 on the very obscure Obago Label out of NYC. With a haunting mix by Ron St. Germain (who later went to work with 80's alternative rock bands the Cure and Sonic Youth amongst others) I would consider this track to be a very early example of boogie as we came to know it. The B Side "Disco Mix" relies heavily on the trippy vocals, funky keyboard lines and syncopated groove. Donna still performs to this day and you can check out her myspace page here.

Donna McGhee - You Should Have Told Me (Disco Mix)