Raw Boogie rears it's head one more time!

Here we are again, examining the tail end of what was once the disco era.
One thing all of these bands had in common was that they released very few records. Not one of them got signed to a major label during the extent of their career under this name. Closest would be The Tutt Band outta Phoenix, AZ, who had 2 singles on TK.

While many veteran soul men from the states threw in the towel during the "drum machine / rap" era, these steadfast musicians all persevered AND managed to hit the music equipment stores, effectively changing the sound of soul music at that time. This mix would be a celebration of persistence, foresight, and limited access to engineering. Boogie squared.

-Disco Tom

LIGER MUSIC 01:
SPRING FORWARD MIX

JBC Band - So In Love
McDouglas & Whitaker - Noise Break
Dorian - Stacked to the T
McDouglas & Whitaker - Prynce Birth
Tutt Band - Get On It
Initials - Message in the Music (Edit Side)
Silver Platinum & Gold - SPG Theme
Fresh Idea - One Time to Make it Bright (Tom Noble Edit)
Vernon Cheeley - Get to the Point
Assignment - Jammin' to the Beat
Command Performance - Breakdance (Tom Noble Edit)
Prophet - Stick it
Emerson - Sending all my Love Out

Liger Music - Spring Forward Mix

I recently returned to my hometown of Milwaukee, WI on a brief weekender and the only redeeming moment I had in that wasteland of a city was digging for gold at the oasis known as Lotus Land Records. I purchased a couple pieces of local heat from an era in Milwaukee history that I only imagine may have been more livable than the scene out of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome that I saw last month.

From 1984 we bring you saxophonist James Dallas and his self released jazz fusion LP "Here and Now". James Dallas has been performing in Milwaukee for many, many years and still plays out with the Terry Sims band (Terry performs on this LP as well). But the real star of the show is the all but unknown guest, Adam Davis who wrote and performed vocals and synth's on the only boogie oriented cut entitled "Highway Lover".

"Highway Lover" is a stellar Boogie/Funk/Black Rock piece with a crazy fusion solo thrown in at the end to keep the track semi in line with the rest of the record. A crusty keyboard hook, raw as hell drums, dusted production and Prince influenced vocals make this one a total classic.

Totally uninteresting nerd fact: On just about all of the tracks on "Here and Now" they used two of my favorite synthesizers, the Juno 60 and Moog Liberation keytar. Both keyboards were discontinued from production in 1984 the same year the record was released. Is it a coincidence that everything started to go downhill after '84?

If you feel this joint like I do, grab a copy from Lotus Land as they have a very small grip of these left.

James Dallas - Highway Lover

First off, let me introduce my column for BE which will be called Raw Boogie. This is micro genre I've been cultivating for the last 5 years or so, consisting of self released and usually self produced boogie joints made by local artists from all around the world. Most of the popular music from the post disco era (1982 - 1989) is notorious for having skin tight session players and uber slick production. Bands such as Slave, The Whispers, Evelyn Champagne King, etc fall into this category.

In stark contrast to the sound of the major label's elite comes the unsigned & under paid suitors seeking their claims to the boogie throne. Writing, recording, and releasing their own funk upon the world, the unisigned artists would often record in home or homie studios, with little to no budget. Most of the Raw Boogie tunes I've found were completely ignored and/or shunned by the music industry, creating a vast underground of obscure and dope funk only to be appreciated by future generations.

Raw Boogie Vol 1:

SUMY "Soul With Milk" - (taken from the LP Trying To Survive, Galaxy records 1983)




Most of the groups we'll bring up in this micro genre will be hailing from the USA, however Sumy was self releasing his music in Amsterdam. Sumy was born in Surinam, a country known largely for being one of four non spanish speaking nations in S. America, and for having a population 1/2 the size of myself and BT Magnum's hometown of Milwaukee, WI.

The young, arrogant Sumy started his own scene quickly after relocating to Amsterdam. There he created his own band, The Freaky Thangs. Mainly white dudes who wore star trek gear and porno hair. Sumy himself liked to wear leg warmers on his arms. With this crew he released two singles which were released by Phillips. After these two releases Sumy began preparing his full length LP, "Trying To Survive. Low funds and lack of equipment led Sumy to record most of the LP in his home, using a barrage of funky synths and his own wit to complete the project. He also enlisted a few friends, including a couple members of the group American Gipsy, aka the band who made the break beat classic "Inside Out".

"Trying To Survive" eventually saw release on Sumy's own imprint, Galaxy Records. An album safely 30 years ahead of it's time, "Trying To Survive" included many nice jams such as "Bitch, We Danced A Lot", "Where Were You Last Night (Sexy Lady)", and the tour de force in "Soul With Milk".

Not sure what the saying "Soul With Milk" is supposed to stand for or suggest, but the lyrics are all about clubbing and chasing girls. The beat floats in and out of open high hat disco and hard hitting funk, and the bass is pure synth. The home made acoustics, low budget mixing and dub effects truly make this standout as a low fi masterpiece when compared to other tunes which were seeing release in 1982. On top of the music, the album cover is also very home made and iconic in it's own way. The art layout is also credited to Fuck You Inc, and to this day it is the only LP I've ever seen in which the producer humbly apologizes for the recording quality in the liner notes.

Sumy is currently living in Amsterdam and plays out on a regular basis.

- Disco Tom Noble

Sumy - Soul With Milk