I Need Your Love

To those of you who may occasionally enjoy a tune I share, I apologize for the extended vacation...the start of the new semester temporarily shifted my priorities. But fear not, I'm back in the game!

A mid-tempo boogie groover with attitude to spare. And a near perfect vocal.



Joy — I Need Your Love (Download)

STREAM HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR BLUE SONGS

The release of this album is the closest thing I have to Christmas...and this time Santa brought us the real deal.

Hercules & Love Affair - Blue Songs by moshi moshi music

They're hitting disco from a different angle...a little more tech, a little more house. "Step Up" is my fucking jam. That bass line and vocal melody are actually kind of reminiscent of Technotronic's "Pump Up the Jam" that Andy Butler has cited as really influential to his musical career.

GOOD SHIT HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR PLEASE COME TO AUSTIN TX!!!

I LIKE YOU

Old school dance out of a French label. 1985.

Phyllis Nelson — I Like You (Download)

HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR "MY HOUSE" VIDEO

Can't wait for this god damned album.

JEWEL'S GROOVE

Outrageously funky tune...in a primal way.  Dam-Funk seems to have taken a lesson or two from "Jewel." If I had to guess I'd say this is a different Jewel than the "Foolish Games" one tho.

JEWEL — JEWEL'S GROOVE (Download)

TIME TO MOVE

I think electro-funk is taking over my brain.  Do you ever have those moments where you wonder if you're human or a supremely placed cowbell inside a punchy synth breakdown?

I'm hooked. Fierce edit by Marcello Giordani of Italo Deviance.



Carmen — Time to Move (Marcello Giordani Boogie Down Edit) (Download)

BODY MUSIC

Getting back to the roots of this blog with a sexy disco numba.  With a coy name-drop of the band hidden inside as a prize!

One On One — Body Music (Download)

DO YOU WANNA DANCE?

Came across this video courtesy of Joe Barnes of Journey Into The Unknown.  Apparently King Sporty (aka Noel Williams) is best known for co-authoring Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldier... But all I know is I have to learn some of his dance moves...



Quality electro-funk from King Sporty and the Ex Tras, 1983, Dancefloor Records.

King Sporty and the Ex Tras — Do You Wanna Dance (Download)

IN THE LIGHT OF THE MIRACLE

One of those few songs that haunts me for a bit after every listen.

In the Light of the Miracle (Danny Krivit Re-edit) — Arthur Russell (Download)

BACK IN TX

First post back in TX, y'all.  London was fun, but it's good to be back...they don't have iced tea over there...

I reckon with this one Don Armando captured a little of that Texas bravado I've come to know and admire.

Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band, 1979, ZE Records.



Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band — Deputy of Love (Download)

TONIGHT IT'S PARTY TIME

Rule #1
If it's in the store, you can buy it.

Legendary producer Bob Blank, Sleeping Bag Records, 1983.



Class Action — Weekend

MY HOUSE

Herc n the crew are back, and these fools worked it out again!! Old school Hercules and Love Affair meets old school house meets the new school of Andy Butler.  Shaun Wright on vocals.

I wish Hercules and Love Affair would love me back the way I love them.



Hercules and Love Affair — My House

THE MUSIC GOT ME

This is one to get excited about! It sure makes me giddy. Straight outta 1983, some excellent almost-house from Prelude Records.

Visual — The Music Got Me (Vocal Mix)

I WANT TO TELL YOU TODAY

One of the rootinest tootinest disco tunes I know, from the master himself, Arthur Russell (as Loose Joints).

Loose Joints — Tell You (Today) (Original 12" Vocal)

Victim of Change Again

A melancholic mood this evening reminded me of this Italo classic from Canadian songwriter/producer Gino Soccio.  It's one of those tunes that really draws you into a mood, with only sparse lyrics and pensive but persistent synth-driven instrumentals.  With a beat that can hold its own on the dance floor to boot, this is one of my favorite Italo songs.

Gino Soccio — "Remember"

I Came Here to Dance

Madleen Kane is just that Swedish model-turned-disco-diva that we all know.  This track comes from Trema, one of the most successful independent French record labels during the 70s.  It was released in 1980 and definitely contains traces of that 80s dance vibe that we've all come to know and love on and off the dancefloor.  There's also some cool horns, catchy multilingual vocals and some rad hair-metal-esque guitar riffs.



Enjoy.


Madleen Kane — "Cherchez Pas"

I'm an Indian Too

Not sure if this song is incredibly racist or just some kind of ineffective social commentary... Possibly both, but whatever it is, this silliness, a disco cover of a song from "Annie Get Your Gun," combines a spectacular groove with some catchy and truly bizarre vocals.  But what else can you expect?  Just another winner from Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band.

This disco oddity was released by ZE Records in 1979 as 12" with "Deputy of Love" as a B-side.

Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band — "I'm an Indian Too"

Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band — "I'm an Indian Too (12" Version)"

Leo Zero/Strut Records/London

In a few weeks Strut Records' first compilation of their "Disconnect" series will be released, with tracks selected by UK deejay legend Leo Zero. Strut says that with "Disconnect," they ask "some of the world's leading DJs to explore the darker side of their collections for rarities, secret weapons and unheralded dancefloor winners." It sounds like fun, but there's only one way to know for sure!

But most importantly, to promote the release Leo Zero has been doing a tour around Europe, and he'll be doing a set at London's The Book Club in Shoreditch on Friday, November 26.  I'm guessing it won't be entirely disco-centric, but it should be a good time.

You can also download a track from the compilation for free, in advance! Got a download link here for convenience. It's not too exciting to me, but it's solid.  Still definitely looking forward to the full release.


Leo Zero — (The Countach feat. Rosenda) My Oasis (Dance Club Version)


STRUT RECORDS DISCONNECT


THE BOOK CLUB INFO

Take a Chance

Eerie and strangely emotional, this Mr. Flagio tune from 1983 touches a peculiar part of my heart.  It has that slightly off-kilter Italo feel, simple instrumentation that knows what to do at exactly the right moments, and some vocoder vocals that send chills down my spine every time.  I guess that's my attempt at rationalizing my love for this song, but I don't think it quite captures exactly why I can't stop listening to it.

Mr. Flagio — "Take a Chance"

Love-Disco, Because I Love You So

Winter seems to be creepin' in, and it's getting me down. For the alleviation of these wintertime moods, the doctor recommends some disco.

Here are a few tunes that always manage to shake the blues right outta me via paranormal surges of energy that cause violent and uncontrollable fits of  boogie-ing down.

Hyperbole aside........these love-themed songs should warm your heart on these cold Fall nights. Because what better to do when it's getting cold outside than stay inside with the ones you love and share some dance moves?

 
Jimmy Ross — "First True Love Affair"

Syreeta — "Can't Shake Your Love"