Disco

[bombinthebeehive]

anyone see the arthur russell documentary yet?
i missed it in NYC

http://www.arthurrussellmovie.com/

[jon abbey]

anyone see the arthur russell documentary yet?
i missed it in NYC

http://www.arthurrussellmovie.com/

I'm waiting to go until Damon is in town, I promised I'd go with him.

[palfoot]

mutant disco?

esg early singles, moody and ufo. liquid liquid stuff, bush tetras too.

one track from the 80's to really sound avant-disco in the russelian way is drowning pool's toy soldiers, albeit with some horrifically 'epic' vocals.

this year's not-so-sophisticated highlights: couleurs from m83 is ecstatic revisitation of 80s, conveys some intentions of those out hud albums on kranky, and house legend robert owens's athmospheric tune never give up which is probably as danceable as burial.

[maRi]

"Making Love Will Keep You Fit" by Brenda Harris (the version that can be found on Deep Disco Culture Vol.1). A galloping tune with a lashing beat and vocals driven by it, an occasional guitar neigh, a lapping bass and titillating percussion, spurred by horns and thrilled keyboard exhalations.

"Got to Find a Disco" by Love Exchange. Good vocals, skittery guitar riffs, wriggling horns, a bass stomping and brilliant, brisk percussion bursting throughout.

"Going Back to My Roots" by Lamont Dozier. An amazing arrangement of a song by Odyssey that must have been a huge hit. It opens with a swinging keyboard; a strutting bass is introduced; then punctuating drum thuds and a jabbing guitar appear. Percussion rolls in, and wild shouts cut through briefly, hinting at what's to happen in the second half. A straightforward performance of the Odyssey song follows. It’s a rough vocal instead of the rich vocals of the original, and it might even seem unsatisfying, but then it’s superbly contrasted with a sort of tribal chorus that takes over in the second half. It soon escalates into a wonderful, frantic whirl that opens up a jungle and closes the song.

"Raise Ya Hands" by Peekskill Express. Stripped-down and so punchy!

[bedouin]

a disco thread that focuses on arthur russell,
that must be disco for the legless



though i despised everything(*) about disco in the 70s, i watched sat-night-fever i few years ago and liked it.
(*)perhaps giorgio moroder and one trans-europe-express, the only exceptions.

[fearandpanic]

"Getaway" by the Salsoul Orchestra is hard to beat for orchestral disco.

[Gaendaal]

The Trammps' 'Disco Inferno' is a tune I never tire of. Beautiful stuff.

I was bought this record a few Christmases ago and it's surprisingly listenable...

[jpeatt]

The Trammps' 'Disco Inferno' is a tune I never tire of. Beautiful stuff.

I was bought this record a few Christmases ago and it's surprisingly listenable...

The only problem I have with this album is that it was done before the introduction of the Darth Vader theme in 'Empire Strikes Back'.

That cantina band song is totally solid though.

Got a few nice disco 12"s recently, most notably Musique 'Keep on Jumpin', Don Armando 'Deputy of Love' and Claudja Barry 'Boogie Woogie Dancin' Shoes'.

Also Patrick Cowley's 'Megatron Man' lp has been getting some play.

[jon abbey]

kind of huge news in the disco world, evidently Larry Levan played a four hour set at the Paradise Garage in 1979 to celebrate their second anniversary. it was broadcast on the radio at the time and recorded, and the recordings have just emerged, this is entirely different from the double CD on Strut. available for DL here:

http://www.isodisco.com/2011/07/31/larr ... rage-1979/

[Antoine]

thank you

[ryansupak]

Thanks for that Larry Levan mix Jon Abbey. Basically everything Larry Levan played was excellent, and his edits are usually better than the originals. He was a genius, and I don't like to use that word.

I play out a fair amount. Here are some of my favored American disco tracks (as opposed to Italo Disco and HI-NRG which a lot of people lump in with Disco but are totally different worlds.) I would be glad to give some suggestions on those genres if requested. For classification purposes I tend to draw the "disco" line as songs that were produced in the late 70's with a real drumset, a real bass guitar, and minimal use of synths.

Norma Jean - Sorcerer (Best to play at +8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNjSUz_KV4E
This song was produced by Nile Rodgers and the bass playing from (Chic bassist) Bernard Edwards is very obvious on this one.

Bumblebee Unlimited - Lady Bug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEgCnvdLnr4
The ladies love this one. I think this was produced by the same team behind the Star Wars disco record mentioned upthread and the Universal Robot Band records, which have seen a resurgence in popularity and a repress in the last few years.

First Choice - Doctor Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Vp48Uf-4s
A heavily sampled and remixed track. The instrumental portion starting at 2:45 is one of the blueprints for House music. A Salsoul production -- they had one of the biggest production budgets out there and on vinyl it is very apparent.

rs

[dave quam]

Yea Lady Bug is a great track, I'll second that.

As far as First Choice goes, Let No Man Put Asunder is my jam. The Shep Pettibone mix is probably my favorite, but the Ron Hardy one is great as well (as well as anything the man ever touched. He is way better than Levan IMO, not to hate on Larry he was great too)

Class Action - Weekend is a big favorite as well.

[dave quam]

I forgot to mention this one, definitely in my top 3 disco tunes ever

[diggedy d]

That song is indeed absolutely incredible. Somehow it seems unexpected to me when disco songs explicitly reference being gay – which this does, as does Carl Bean's "Born This Way" – I guess it was pretty unusual back in the day. But in both these cases, they make for some of the strongest songs in disco (as opposed to tracks).

[ryansupak]

Anybody who goes dancing or DJs out knows this intuitively I think, but it bears mentioning: some things that are dull/trite for listening are *fantastic* for dancing -- and vice-versa. (Not directed at anything particular in this thread, just a general principle I've noticed.)

Then there's the question of what actually "works" live, which is extremely situational of course. But sometimes it doesn't seem to follow any rhyme or reason. I think it's almost a rite of passage for a DJ to really love a track, and then to play it out and watch it clear the floor.

rs

[maRi]

Charlie — Spacer Woman (1983)