Spaced Out

It seems that in between those moments when you discover a really great record, listen to it a thousand times, and memorize every stop, start, break, and cut it has to offer you there's those days when you're at a loss for something to listen to. You might wander into Kim's Mediapolis looking for something to jump out and powerslam you by the ears or you might even *gasp* tune into Hot 97 or some other corporate megamonster radio station to give you the 411 on the latest Timbaland creation or whatever northside/southside hyphy-crunk collabo is topping the charts these days. And sometimes it's really great, honest. Throw Some D's is definitely more fun than anything I've heard coming from Lil' Jon's camp in like, a year, and whatever old NES games Timbo has being playing while blazed (though if you believe the dude at this forum, he steals his tracks from C64 nerds) must be pretty obscure because they're sure not in my collection.

So you end up spending your downtime in between great records trying to find the next great record, but it seems that the harder you look, the lamer the records get. For example, last week after hearing a great spacey italo track by the name of "Spacer Woman" I decided to devote a little extra time to finding some nice lost italo. Unfortunately after hours of intense research I came up with barely a dozen tracks that were worth mentioning, and even fewer worth tracking down the original. So now you're not only frustrated that you're not spinning the sickest most unbelieve slab of vinyl, but now you think it's hopeless and there's no more awesome records left to find. From now on it's just Ying Yang Twins and 4th-wave indie pop. It's like the sequel to 1984 only it's called 2007 and instead of Big Brother it's fucking shitty music.

But then finally that record comes around at 2am on a cold night and you're feelin' it so hard that you start a BLOG with the intention of sharing that record. Other records too but mainly that one that made you want to start a BLOG in the first place.

To wit, the 1976 space-disco masterpiece, Atmosphere Strut (zip file). This one is arranged, fronted, and produced by Patrick Adams under the name Cloud One and features some of the most blissed out Moog solos every committed to vinyl. Add to that P&P's trademark funkiness (see first post) and lush yet understated vocal arrangements and you've got the stuff of disco legend.

Tracklisting:

1) Spaced Out
2) Charleston Hopscotch
3) Dust To Dust
4) Atmosphere Strut
5) Disco Juice
6) Doin' It All Night Long

Now as a note to anybody who might be interested in purchasing a copy, this is actually tricky to find in almost any format. While original Cloud One 12"s sell for well into the hundred dollar range, just finding a reissue can be problematic. There's a barebones CD release without any bonus material which is starting to get scarce and there are a few vinyl reissues available for DJs on a budget. Probably the most desirable is an expanded 2CD compilation called The Very Best of Cloud One which includes the Atmosphere Strut LP, the 1978 follow-up Funky Tracks Of Cloud One LP, and a second CD of P&P productions including a rare remix of "Atmosphere Strut" from 1979 and the hypnotic "Patty Duke" which is Cloud One at its most carnivalesque. Sadly it's out of print but you might poke around ebay or your local record shop. I found mine in a Kim's used bin about a year ago. It's definitely worth tracking down, but you're probably better off just asking me for a copy.

Be Happy!

Here's a mix I found while scouring the net for info on underground disco classics. It's a nice spacey electro funk mix posted on mixoftheweek.com from a guy who goes by the name Kekäle1: Be Happy Mix.mp3

A lot of great stuff 80s stuff on this mix which ranges from the obvious (Grace Jones, duh) to the obscure (Engian? Clappa Club??). It even includes the best electro-funk track I've heard all week, Northend's "Tee's Happy", which if you can't get down to, you certainly don't have a funky bone in your whole body. Here's a link to the original post that has a track listing but I'll post it below for your convenience:

1) Grace Jones - Pull Up To The Bumper
2) Orange Krush - Action
3) Clappa Club - A Dub Break
4) Lady D - You Got Me Runnin' (dub)
5) Pamela Nivens - It's You I Love (So In Love)
6) Joy - I Need Your Love
7) BLT - Tighten It Up
8) Lipstick - I'm In Love
9) Shamwell - Do It On The One (instru)
10) Northend - Tee's Happy
11) Engian - Secret Hearts
12) Plush - Free And Easy
13) Night Bandit - Like A Thief In The Night
14) Laurice Hudson - Feel My Love
15) Executive - Celebrate Your Love

Disco Juggernaut

This one goes out to all the ladies. Some Harlem disco to get the juices flowin':

Johnson Products - Johnson Jumping
Clyde Alexander - Got To Get Your Love
Chain Reaction - Dance Freak
Scott Davis - New York Applejack

Pretty weird, right? For those who like their music auteur, that is, brimming with an almost deranged levels of personality, P&P takes the disco cake. A label founded by Harlemites Patrick Adams and Peter Brown and packed to the gills with similarly minded producers, P&P was no slouch when it came to laying down the thickest grooves, nastiest percussion, and dreamiest keyboard lines. And while no stranger to hits (Musique and Inner Life come to mind right away), P&P has lately become more the talk of dysfunctional record collectors and music geeks rather than the popular music critico web sect. Being witness to the explosion of creativity in the international house scene which seems to have grown staggeringly experimental of late (software is so cheap these days; it seems like everybody is an avant-garde house producer) I see lots of parallels between the underground dance music of the 70s and today. While it may not seem like it to you, consider how far from pop music this stuff is. These tracks average 10 minutes a pop and they sample the gamut: moogs, xylophones (or ice cubes clinking in a mixed drink?), train conductors, etc. And all this is mixed it seems with very little regard to tiny radio speakers: the details can only really be revealed on a proper stereo or even better, one of those newfangled disco soundsystems that started popping up in the early 70s.

So if you want to start getting your hands on this stuff, the most recent related release is a compilation of Patrick Adams productions,The Master of the Masterpiece. I haven't picked up a copy yet, but the tracklist looks pretty money.

Those that want to get extra nerdy about it can head down to Gimme Gimme Records on the lower east side, 325 E 5th St. The guy who runs it is named Dan. Tell him Dan sent you. He won't have any idea who you're talking about but he'll probably laugh anyways. So he stocks a lot of great records, one of them which I believe Dan put out himself. This is something that my friend Dan, told me. Dan, Dan, Dan...must be something with the name... Anyway, it's called Uptown Disco Juggernaut and is a pain in the ass to find anywhere but Gimme Gimme Records. Any why is this a big deal? Because one of the tracks ends with the sound of an atomic bomb exploding and a baby crying. Let's just say I posted some of P&P's more accessible tracks...Patrick's website says "Patrick Adams is nominated as a record producer for induction into THE DANCE MUSIC HALL OF FAME 2005 but looks like it hasn't been updated in at least a decade. I'm sure in his own funky world he's the ultimate rockstar. Here's a couple good ones to finish off with:

Golden Flamingo Orchestra - The Guardian Angel Is Watching You
Margie Lomax - Gods Greatest Gift To Man Is Woman

Oh and all these tracks I'm posting? Got them from a compilation called Danny Krivit Introduces P & P Records. That's probably the package you really want. UK import though.