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".

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)

With its anthemic backing track and trippy sped up vocals, Lady Bug is considered by many to be a definitive disco banger. I have always been somewhat dubious of the chipmunk style vocals but Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael's incredible production work definitely breaks through. There were many 12" versions pressed upon its release in 1978, including the original on Greg Carmichael's Red Greg and a later RCA pressing featuring remix work from two of New York City's hottest DJ's at the time: John Morales and Larry Levan. These were both very early remix gigs for Morales and Levan and in my humble opinion Morales's hypnotic dancefloor mix shines brighter than Levan's more sparse version. UK label BBE recently issued a stellar comp featuring classic Morales remixes and a bunch of unreleased M&M session mixes from the era.

Bumblebee Unlimited - Lady Bug (John Morales Mix)
Bumblebee Unlimited - Lady Bug (Larry Levan Mix)

Let's Go Another Round is probably my favorite Inner Life AND Rainbow Brown track. Both released in 1981, the Rainbow Brown version was produced by Patrick Adams and featured Fonda Rae singing lead while Inner Life's had Jocelyn Brown on vocals and Greg Carmichael handling production duties. Stan Lucas wrote and co-produced both versions. Obviously with its drawn out breaks and funky synths, the Inner Life version is more suited for the dancefloor. Flanked by soaring string lines, the Rainbow Brown interpretation falls more on the classic tip of the disco spectrum. Either way, It is quite nice to hear frequent collaborators Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams go head to head and display their different production flourishes.

Inner Life - (Knock Out) Let's Go Another Round
Rainbow Brown - Let's Go Another Round

Admittedly, I have a very soft spot for mid 70's jazz/funk. Places and Spaces by Donald Byrd with the Mizell Brothers production team has been in my top five favorite LP's for a good ten years now. When I first heard this record several weeks ago, I was instantly brought back to the period of my life when I salivated over this kind of crap.

In his time, Patrick Adams produced many, many records of varying styles under a myriad of aliases. Sine was Adam's first of several collaborations with a very young label known as Prelude Records in 1977. Prelude was still trying to find its footing at this juncture basically hiring Adams to produce a jazzy cosmic record released under the guise of disco. Don't get me wrong, this album completely blows me away but only in the loosest terms would I categorize it as disco.

Armed with his signature 70's (see Cloud One) Arp 2600 synth sound, it feels as if Adams and co. wrote the entire record in the studio and jammed it out in a few sessions. The end result is a very raw yet cohesive LP.

This album cover absolutely kills me. Need a time machine now, damnit.

Sine - Chimi
Sine - Keep It Coming
Sine - Just Let Me Do My Thing

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)

Does it get much better than the partnership of Patrick Adams and Peter Brown? The godfathers of deep disco, of any great production duo from the era I can't think of one that was so tastefully consistent, and whose releases to this day are so sweated. Their releases spanned sub-genre, disco, cosmic, boogie, early hip hop, but always had the signature sound and distinctly abstract approach, which is a shame really as it means for most releases on the Peter Brown/Patrick Adams owned labels (Of which there were a few) you are now having to compete with hiphop dj's, funk obsessives, disco nerds etc etc.

My favorite P&P project was Cloud One, and this I believe is the first Cloud One 12" release on Peter Brown's Heavenly Star label, with Patrick Adams on joint production and song writing credits. An awesome instrumental disco boogie number, with all the weirdy overtones you would expect.

Cloud One - Flying High

The dream team collaboration of vocalist Leroy Burgess with producers Greg Carmichael, and Patrick Adams yielded so many amazing recordings between their many different musical projects. The Universal Robot Band's tenure began in 1976 with the "Dance and Shake Your Tambourine" single and ended in 1982 with the release of the boogie masterpiece "Barely Breaking Even". The majority of Burgess's releases in the early 80's came out on Salsoul, but this single was released on the fairly obscure Moonglow imprint, which makes an original pressing much harder to come by. The 12 inch was reissued in recent years due to the track's high demand and influence in the disco universe.

Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even (Club Version)

I had been wanting this record for a long time, it is some of the finest work by Patrick Adams. Not the LP pictured, but the 12". There it was sitting without a sleeve, getting pretty scratched up in a pile of heat that I picked up at a flea market in San Francisco. I had just bought the Keep On Jumpin' LP on ebay a couple of days before, and was happy to have a great 12" by Musique for 50 cents; even though it doesn't have the artwork. In the Bush, from a Disco Heat compilation was played at my wedding by one of my friends, so the song holds a lot of sentimental value for my wife and the guests. I was really excited to hear the B side, Keep On Jumpin' because it is a track that is on the amazing free download record Juiced by The Cansecos. Enjoy!

mp3: Musique - In The Bush
mp3: Musique - Keep On Jumpin'

Wish was one of the genius offerings from Greg Carmichael and Patrick Adams. They also worked together producing tracks as Bumblebee Unlimited, Clair Hicks and Love Exchange, and The Universal Robot Band. With incredible vocals by La-Rita Gaskin, a ridiculous bassline that is too loud and drums that beat anything but nice and soft, this track very unique. I hadn't realized this before till my iTunes already had a listing as Wish, but an edited version is featured on Chicken Lip's fantastic DJ Kicks Album. I dug this record brand new and unopened out of a pile of 50 cent records, quite a score indeed!

mp3: Wish - Nice & Soft (Instrumental)