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MIX NOTES

Joyous – the absolutely smoking title track from Pleasure’s third album from 1977. Wayne Henderson (Crusaders) discovered them in Portland and got them signed to Fantasy, where he produced their first 4 albums. Like contemporaries The Blackbyrds and Side Effect, they fall very much into that middle area where funk meets fusion and disco in just the perfect balance. Their albums aren’t all bangers IMO, but there’s at least one or two joints on each that make them worth a listen. You might recognize the break from THIS

What Can I Do For You – The follow up single to “Lady Marmalade”. Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx, and the queen bae Ms Patti Labelle. They started out as a doo-wop group in the early 60s under the name The Blue Belles before becoming simply Labelle. And who knew? They were the first black vocal group on the cover of the Rolling Stone. I initially thought this was sort of a 70s version of Janet’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately”, but it’s really just about peace, love, and understanding. What’s so funny about that?

Paradise – Somehow I’ve never put this on a mix, so I guess today is my day. Change are an interesting group, in that they were the brainchild of a Parisian DJ/producer named Jaques Fred Petrus, who commissioned Italian musicians Mauro Malavasi and Davide Romani to write and record the songs in Italy, then record the vocals in American with the likes of Luther Vandross and Jocelyn Brown. Their first album, “The Glow of Love” (1980), was a smash hit, garnering 7 Grammy nominations and exposing the world to Luther in all his glory. Due to contractional differences, he never sang lead again. This is from their second album, “Miracles” (1981), with James Robinson and Deborah Cooper on vocals.

Superstrut – A straight up NY dancefloor classic from brazilian jazz man and 24/7 beastmode on the Fender Rhodes eighty-eight, Deodato, circa 1973. The record cover alone tells you this shit is gonna be dope. I will confess that I added a little thump and some percussion underneath, because the drums are mixed really low on the LP.

Repossessed – A somewhat-lesser known classic from Linda Clifford, from her 1979 “Here’s My Love” LP. This was written, arranged and produced by two legends of the Philly disco sound, Norman Harris (MFSB) and Ron Tyson (Salsoul Orchestra, Love Committee, etc). The Reflex reworked this a bit to give it a bit more deep house vibe, but those drums still sound like pure Salsoul to me.

Shoot Me (With Your Love) – I think this was Tasha Thomas’ only hit, recorded in 1978. She was primarily a backing singer, session vocalist, and broadway performer – most notably singing in the chorus on Louie Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World”. Not a bad way to leave your mark on the world.

You + Me = Love & Harmony – When I first heard this track, I could’ve sworn it was Brainstorm. Just has that same relentless energy of “Loving Is Really My Game”. Lo and behold, it’s The Undisputed Truth from 1976. That’s Chaka Khan’s younger sister, Taka Boom aka Yvonne Stevens, on lead vocals. She also sang with Carl Carlton, DJ Rogers, The Gap Band, and Parliament. She got the last name ‘Boom’ from her first husband, saxophonist John Brumbach, who’s day job was dynamiting back yards for pool installations.

Love Hangover (EDIT) – Just a groovy instrumental version from 1977 from The Player’s Association, a studio group on NY’s Vanguard label. I put some druggy spoken word stuff over the track just to keep your attention.

Here’s To You – My boy DJ Matty Matt played this at a loft party last year and I was like “oh right, I LOVE THIS SONG!”. Skyy were a Brooklyn-based group on the Salsoul label, best known for their #1 hit “Call Me” in 1981. But I much prefer this track, which reached number 23 on the US R&B charts in 1980. That synth break in the middle is so fucking tight, I brought that in first before starting the track again at the beginning.

Nowhere – A straight up banger from 1975, courtesy of Hokis Pokis, three Italian dudes from Long Island. This song has a great blend of disco, psychedelic, and sort of Doo-Wop-ish vocals. These cats earned their stripes in local forgotten clubs like The Barney Google on 86th st, The Rum Runner, Copperfield’s, The Speak Easy, and The Rusty Nail in Flushing. They continue to gig around to this day in places like Levittown and Valley Stream.

Do The Beat (Joey Negro EDIT) – a cratedigger one-off from Sweet Talk, a French studio band produced by the aforementioned Wayne Henderson and Ghanian keyboardist Joe Mensah (who played with Oscar Sulley & the Uhuru Dance Band). I think Joey Negro actually pitched this down a bit when he did his remix, but it still moves tho.

Disco Party (EDIT) – Just the end refrain from The Trammps 1975 dance floor smash. You gotta love Earl Young’s deep-ass voice. He founded the group and was also the drummer. He is even credited with inventing the disco style of drumming, on Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes “The Love I Lost”, though some would dispute this. Maybe even me, since Isaac Hayes “Shaft” predates it by a year, and those drums seem totally disco to me.

Give Me Love – There is a reason why this is considered one of the greatest disco songs ever recorded. Just listen to it on some headphones. It’s a masterpiece. Cerrone, as if you didn’t know, is a true giant in the history of the genre. His influence on the whole Euro disco sound is probably equal to Giorgio Moroder, which is saying a lot.

Sweet Tears – It seemed like I should have really put this on a mix by now, but no. You want to get the old heads singing in NYC, throw this melancholy jam on after 3am. “Broken dreams… AND PROMISES… that’s the way LOVE ALWAYS I-IS!”

Message In Our Music (jimmy the twin EDIT) – I don’t know who Jimmy The Twin is or how this edit ended up on my hard drive, but I can dig it. Google tells me he’s from Bristol and we share a love of good disco edits. That’s enough for me. The Ojays need no introduction from me, do they? Just know that they’re from Canton, Ohio – home to the Football Hall of Fame. This was a #1 hit for them on the R&B charts in 1976.

P.Y.T. (Reflex EDIT) – After teasing y’all with the MJ vocals throughout this mix, I though it only fair to drop the whole song to finish things off. Thanks for listening!