MIX NOTES

That’s Saying A Lot – Funky mellowness from Christine McVie’s 1970 solo debut, under the name Christine Perfect. This is after she had left her first band, Chickenshack, but before moved to the U.S. and joined Fleetwood Mac in 74 or so. This album also features a solid cover of Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind”, which was a staple of her Chickenshack live sets.

Pride & Vanity (138 EDIT) – I did some editing to remove the vocal parts and extend the groovy parts on this Ohio Players tune. This came out in 1972 on their “pleasure” LP, the second in a trilogy of Westbound releases (Pain / Pleasure / Ecstasy). People joke about young men pleasuring themselves to the imagery on OP albums, but as a child of the 70s, I can tell you: the struggle was real. When “Honey” came out, it was game over.

TB Sheets – A bluesy monologue from the one and only Van Morrison. This came out on his 1967 solo debut “Blowin’ Your Mind”. When I first heard it, I thought there must be some hidden metaphor in the title. But the more you listen to it, the more you realize, no, as the title would imply, it’s simply about a guy visiting someone who is dying from tuberculosis. A guy who feels guilty for wanting to get the fuck outta there and rejoin the living. I need a drink.

I’m Still A Man (Lord Have Mercy) – Previously unknown to me, Willie West has been a fixture in the New Orleans soul scene for the better part of 50 years. He had many record contracts. He released lots of singles that kinda went nowhere. He even toured as a vocalist with the Meters a few times, but he always wound up back in Bourbon Street clubs. in 2015 Finnish label Timmion got him to record some new singles they’re releasing on vinyl. This is one of them, and it’s beautiful.

Silent NY – The Incognito Traveler is Italian by way of Vancouver beatmaker Enrico Gianfranchi and Mexican producer César Juárez-Joyner. Together they’re cooking up some esoteric beats that definitely work for my ears. This came out as a single in 2015, followed closely by the release of their debut album.

Moonshadow – The ladies of Labelle give Cat Stevens the real diva treatment here, to great effect. This version is so theatrical, it’d almost be a joke if it wasn’t so damn funky.

In Rhythm – a one-off hit from 1982 – from that era in UK history when New Wavers and Post Punkers like The Slits and Bow Wow Wow were using funk and tribal rhythms to great effect. The came out on the Bristol label Recreational Records. It reminds me a lot of The Belle Stars “Hand Clapping Song’ from THIS 2009 MIX

Givin’ Up Food For Funk – The great JB’s, in their 1972 prime. This was originally a 7” release only, on People Records in the US and on Polydor in Europe. Later it made it on to a lot of their greatest hits albums. It’s been stuck in my head for the last year or so because it’s Alison’s go-to-song to sing at random times of the day. She often doesn’t even remember that she sang it out loud. I guess it’s just that catchy, nah mean? As for me, I wait for the bridge to really let loose.

Boom Clack (chris karns remix) – Some aggro turntablism meets bass meets I don’t know what. Jon Kennedy is a Stockton UK DJ and producer. He’s been down with the great Brighton label Tru Thoughts for years. Now he has his own imprint called The Jon Kennedy Federation. Check out more of his stuff HERE

Haile Selassie – Sometimes you just have to play an old Ska record, ya know? Or is it reggae? Hard to say, actually, as it came out in 1969, which was technically post-ska. Yet the bounce of this beat is pure Ska. And it’s by the Godfather of Ska himself, Laurel Aitken. If you’re unfamiliar with his catalogue, I suggest you start digging. So many arkenstones in that misty mountain. His 1958 “Boogie In My Bones” was one of the first records Island Records magnate Chris Blackwell ever produced, way before Bob Marley.

A Chance For Peace – A nice Acid Jazz-ish rework of Lonnie Liston Smith’s wonderful original. Sara Sayed is a Finnish vocalist from Helsinki – teaming up here with Itialian DJ and producer Mop Mop, aka Andrea Benini. I’ve been putting songs from Mop Mop’s last album on mixes for the last few years. The whole record is DOPE and you should buy it.

Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Nothing – Almost unfathomable in 2016 to have pop stars making number one dance hits that are also political critiques of the powers that be. But it was 1970, and it was James Brown, and the man just had to say what the people needed to hear. I still wish every modern musician would watch the Nina Simone documentary then slap themselves for not using their talents for social change.

Handle It – This song was originally recorded by The Sylvers in 1973. You can check out their version HERE, but this 2005 version from Los Angeles funkateers The Rebirth just has bit more groove to it. Feel me?

Family Affair – This song is timeless. The weird drum machine. Sly’s long scratchy kitten screams. Everything about it. I looped the rhodes bridge a bit in the beginning simply because the song always feels too damn short. Some call it blasphemy, but I’m a DJ and fucking with records is what I do.

Magic Man (138 dub) – Last year I was driving in a car somewhere – maybe it was in Vancouver – and this song came on the radio. And I thought to myself “This has so many instrumental breaks, you could practically make a whole Bealaric boogie track out of it”. So that’s what I did. I put some weight under the kick drums and overlaid a bit of Kraftwerk and a few dubby delays and voila! This is about the limit of my production skills LOL.

Mathar – Long before Austin Powers, there were Jazz musicians taking LSD and making songs like this with a serious face. 1969 was the year to do this. This was a much coveted piece of vinyl around 1991 or so, when a lot of downtown NY DJs used to play this at so-called “rare groove” parties. I never owned it, so I would bug Jules Gayton to play it for me. That mofo has every record on earth.