Eastern groove

In the past 100 posts of this blog, we've discovered and listened to music from around the world, from artists and producers spread around the globe, putting notes and loops together for us to bang our heads, sway, share with our loved ones, create memories with, feel. Artists/producers from the United States to Greece and from Sweden to Australia. But I believe we've never had any references to the land of the rising sun (as I've said before, my memory ability sucks, so I might be talking bullshit here, but I strongly get the feeling that Japanese artists haven't been hosted in here yet. Till now that is.)

Rondenion is one of my beloved ones from the Eastern world, making hypnotic, jazzy, groovy, deep sounds that reach the other end of the world, since 2005. My first clue was a re-edit he has done on DIT - Let's start dancin', while the "Beautiful memory" track finished me off. And then came Mr. Hirofumi Goto's debut album and blew me away. Especially this one (which my ears tell me that samples Deodato - Keep on moving).


Bass, bass, bass, damn it!
Thank you, Rondenion.

track's info:
-Rondenion - Moon Sniper (feat. Shigeo Nakano)
Luster Grand Hotel
Rοundabout Sounds/Plug Research 2013

Always #1

Do you remember Alkalino? He was hanging around somewhere in this post along with the Four Tops, ltj experience and Greg Henderson, doin' some re-work on Gwen McCrae's Funky Sensation. This October he had his Anarchic Cutz release, including his point of view on one of my favorite tracks from Gene Chandler.



The original track gave birth to numerous releases (like this one from Dave Clarke, this one from Groovemaster K. & 88-Keys , this from Agent Stereo and who knows how many others) and it's nice to see that it can still inspire and give food for... production to the talented out there.

And the funny thing is it never actually reached #1 -but it's a '79er.

tracks' info:
-Alkalino - Number 1
Anarchic Cutz
Audaz 2013

-Gene Chandler - When you're #1
When you're #1
20th Century Fox Records 1979

Faraway so close

I have a seriously fucked-up memory, so I only remember the Frankee More and Cactus Channel posts referring to fresh Australian artists in this blog (find them here and here). But as I browse through sounds, I find there are more and more serious stuff going on Down Under on the side of music we know and love. One more from the faraway continent.



Nice work from Rabble on "Need you forever", only 3 days old on soundcloud. Can't get enough of the hip hop beats, Lou Rawls' deep vocals (the man who released over 50 albums from the '60s till the '00s), the looping, the melody that kicks ass, the filters, the loving lyrics, the key changes. Smoochy!

tracks' info:
-Rabble - Right now
2013

-Lou Rawls - Need you forever
All things in time
Philadelphia International Records 1976

Friday night fever

I think I'm gonna burn a few brain cells with this one today. Join in.



A 78 edits re-work on "Sing it low" by Ann C. Sheridan with a free download and a disco feeling. Make good use of it.

tracks' info:
-78 Edits - Sing it low (78 Edits extended re-work)
2012

-Ann C. Sheridan - Sing it low
RCA Victor 1977

Deep roots

Whatever you're doing this moment is not important. Leave it. Close your eyes. You are now travelling in time, back in 1988. And do you know who's with you on this time travel? Mr. Fingers, along with the company of Robert Owens and Ron Wilson. Which means that you have the whole Fingers Inc. with you. Lucky bastard.

Maybe the legendary "Can you feel it?" is the well-known and acclaimed hymn of deep house, which we all know, love and have stories of delirium to share with it playin' through the speakers of a club, but this one feels smoother, more introvert and cozy right now. And it suits this time-travel exploring the deep sound roots perfectly.

Ok, open up your eyes now and sink back into work. Different kind of deep. Sorry.

track's info:
Fingers Inc. - So glad 
Another side
Jack Trax 1988

Good girls' turn

Bad girls have always been hot for the guys -beloved Donna Summer damn well gave them a proper boost with her toot toot beep beep hit- but I believe it's time for the good girls to be appreciated too. Lillo Thomas surely made his attempt in 1983 with "(You're a) good girl", which gave Shit Hot Soundsystem food for edit. And he came up with this cruisin' tune.



This week can't fail after this. Download it for free and share it with a good girl out there. Or a bad one.

tracks' info:
-Shit Hot Soundsystem - Good Girl (Shit Hot Sounsystem edit)
2013

-Lillo Thomas - (You're a) good girl
Let me be yours
Capitol Records 1983

That's the right Attitude

Don’t know what it is these days, but there’s been a lotta diggin’ in the oldies. There’s a good chance the gloomy weather brings out this past-appreciation, nostalgic, mushy feeling in me, but it feels like a really constructive journey. And look what I found.

Attitude was an '80s group brought to life by David Frank and Mic Murphy from The System, with just one album in their palmarès, "Pump up nation". The "Love me tonight" track only made it to #90 of the R&B chart in the summer of '83 -when my playmobil was the only valuable thing in this world- but I've said it before and I'll say it again: who cares about the charts?

So glad about this journey of mine these days. You gotta go back in music to purely appreciate it today. (Wow. If no one’s ever said it before, I’ll take the credit for this, thank you).

track's info: 
Attitude - Love me tonight 
Pump Up Nation
Atlantic 1983

Let's talk about women

How do you like this?

I personally love it, but at the same time I can understand how some people may need it to be somewhat more intense, more rhythmic, more alive. Frenic took care of that.

Trip hop sound on a sentimental track that turns everything to a man's point of view. From "A woman needs a good man" we go to "Money ain't no women". Wait, it ain't over.

Kill Emil from Pad Trio had something to add to all of these. And he did.

Man, what a build-up that was!

*You can download for free Frenic's version here and Kill Emil's point of view here.

tracks' info:
-The Three Degrees - A woman needs a good man
The Three Degrees
Philadelphia International Records 1973

-Frenic - Money ain't no women
Present and Correct
Dusted Wax Kingdom 2012

-Frenic - Money ain't no women (Kill Emil Remix)
2013

Soul to the people

It’s been a long time since the last time we shared a set, so there you go. Rare sound with a lotta soul, that's gonna lead off this week.



You know, sometimes I wish there wasn’t any rare soul. I wish nothing was rare about soul. I wish soul was everywhere and all around, everyone felt it in their bone and we all lived happily ever after. Any chance this could happen sometime soon?

The rare side of the '80s

The '80s can be many things, depending on where you choose to grab 'em. They can be both Boy George and Mötley Crüe, Madonna and Van Halen, Michael Cretu and Whitesnake, Michael Jackson and Public Enemy, Prince and Run-D.M.C, Billy Joel and Def Leppard, Tina Turner and Duran Duran, Talking Heads and Simply Red, David Bowie and New Order, Pointer Sisters and Sonic Youth -oh my god this could go on forever.

So far so good, but the '80s can also be this

and this

and this

 and this

This could go on forever as well. Only in this case you'll have to dig a little bit deeper.

tracks' info: 
-Raw Silk - Just in time & space
West End Records 1983 

-Kwick - Nightlife
To the point
EMI America 1981

-Khemistry - Who's fooling who
Khemistry
Columbia 1982

-Gwen McCrae - Keep the fire burnin'
On my way
Atlantic 1982

Mr. Murphy did it again

We've seen Claremont 56 again recently in the Paqua post, but I must admit I'm kinda hooked on this label these past few weeks. Those of you who did your diggin' must have discovered numerous tunes-to-die-for in Claremont 56's soundcloud page. I have too, that's why it makes it difficult for me to pinpoint just one, but this is what I believe fits today's mood perfectly.



Smooth, melodic, bittersweet and totally autumn-ish. Mudd & Pollard (with the over-busy Paul Murphy hiding behind this project as well, along with Kevin Pollard) had a really soothing inspiration here and Claremont 56 released beautiful music once again.

track's info:
Mudd&Pollard - Mawson's walk
Claremont 56 2013  

Whispering love

The Whispers seem to have been spreading love since 1969. It's amazing how much and how intensly they refer to it and how many songs they have to embrace it - even Lionel Richie could scratch his head with embarassement facing all this love. The thing is I don't really care for love songs in the sense of romantic ballads with lyrics that make the teenagers around the world hug their pillow and start crying to the thought of their crush. But I do care for love songs that have pure soul and funk love up a little bit. And the Whispers know how to bring it on.

"It's a love thing"

Ok, put in 2013 all people see is funny moustaches, odd stylistic choices and droll choreography, but the track kicks ass.

"Fell in love last night (at the disco)"

No disco, no love.

"Keep on lovin' me" 

The choreography keeps on getting better and better - I enjoy it, really.

"Don't take your love"

This is how you can beg someone not to take his/her love away and still look cool. 

"Creation of love"

Good for the soul.

*Bonus: My favorite one from The Whispers on the hands of Ruben&Ra is offered with a free download (as long as you pay with a tweet or a fb post). Grab it here.

tracks' info:
The Whispers
-It's a love thing
Imagination
Solar 1980

-Fell in love last night (at the disco)
Open up your love
Soul Train 1977

-Keep on lovin' me
Love for love
Solar 1983

-Don't take your love
Bingo
Janus Records 1974

-Creation of love
Planets of life
Janus Records 1973

*bonus
The Whispers - It's a love thing (Ruben & Ra Furry lover edit)
Ruben & Ra Retrospective 2013

The Esc track

I would have never guessed this is of Russian origin, but then again why not?



Klar & PF is a creative, Russian duo consisted of Kirill Larionov and Bulat Iskhakov who are into the nu disco sound - their soundcloud page can convince you of that and keep you captive for hours. This is a VIP mix on their Escape track featuring Patrick Baker, offered generously with a free download. Let me know if you can easily escape this.

track's info: 
Klar & PF feat. Patrick Baker - Escape (VIP Mix)
Glam Jam Artists 2013