3 edits on african/percussive and more straight funk cuts from Diskoking Burnhart McKoolski on the label Edits Des Amateurs.
funk
DopeGems – Journey To The Shore [TRA023]
Created in 2011 by drummer and arranger Slikk Tim, DopeGems is a five piece band dedicated to that gritty, raw instrumental sound of the 70s music lovers. That special blend of jazz, funk, and classic soundtracks, but so rarely performed live: there comes the idea of DopeGems. By combining vibraphone, guitar and vintage keys on top of a rock-solid rythm section, the band is able to sound bigger than the sum of it parts, enabling the unit to be very versatile, from searing improvisations to heavy, deep grooves, all the way to full-on symphonic movie charts. “Journey To The Shore” is paired with an equally inspired rendition of “Quasar”, originally recorded on Herbie Hancock’s The Crossing but rather taking its cues from the 1977 version by Bennie Maupin, featuring its sophisticated arrangement by Onaje Allen Grubs. DopeGems manages to squeeze out a darkly shimmering diamond of tune from this sacred rare groove nugget, while respecting all the details of the symphonic original with only 5 musicians.
Tom Noble & Matt Rex – Relax Your Mind / Liger Vision Media [LGR7001]
A side is a little bedroom jam that has never been released. Drums by the mightful Matt Rex, hand claps and finga snaps by Tom Noble. Flip is a gently reworked version of “Music Engine” from Tom’s “In Liger Vision” EP.
Olivier Boogie / Red Greg – Dance Roll Rhythm [LIH008]
Continuing their forays into the world of yesteryear grooves unabated, Lumberjacks in Hell are at it again, this time drafting in O Boogie and Red Greg for some disco funk finesse for the smoothest get-downs. O Boogie lords it over the first side, leaning heavy on a rich piano hook that hammers lower register chords over an incessant disco tick, while evergreen track “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” gets re-versioned in such a floor-burning fashion you’ll need asbestos boots just to get out alive. Red Greg’s “Inner Rhythm” plies familiar tropes into a sweet instrumental groove that makes all the right moves.
Dam Funk – I Don’t Wanna Be A Star! [STH2302]
Four new tracks from boogie funk ambassador Dam, recorded in Ladera Heights, California. “I Don’t Wanna Be A Star!” from the forthcoming album Invite the Light. Includes a cover of Prince’s “17 Days”.
Willie Burns – Concepto MIX #97
LV – Fader Mix
The Trash Company – Having Fun EP [PPU041]
The Trash Company released its first single in 1979, the follow up didn’t come untill earlier this year. Hot on the heels of Pluto comes this 5 song 12″ EP, containing both sides of PPU 036, along with three new tracks: “Having fun”, “Bigga Man”, and the summertime anthem “I don’t mind”. perfect as days begin to grow shorter and nights are getting longer. Fall will bring a full length Trash Company Lp on PPU / Steady Sounds, collecting unreleased material spanning the late ’70s through the early nineties.
T Mack – Mill Due (The Galactic Funk DJ) [ CM001]
Slamming remastered reissue of über-rare Detroit electro gold ‘Mill-Due’ by T.Mack on tiny label Megas. Incredibly hard to come by, this underground 12” from 1985 oozes funk, soul, boogie and delicious groove with a huge slice of time-defying electro chic. With a super-squelchy analogue bassline, sexy guitar licks and killer beats, it is topped off with Detroit style space-age deep vocals which conjure images of early Juan Atkins productions – this record is a collector’s wet dream! An on-air favourite of The Electrifying Mojo, this is Motorcity electro at its very peak. Essential for fans of electro and techno alike! Do not miss out on this true holy grail of Detroit electro funk.
Quasimode – Hi Tech Jazz [JS12S079]
Japanese group Quasimode are rightly lauded by the world’s jazz and electronic music cognoscenti, with their productions flitting elegantly between the two genres. For their third release on Japanese label Flower, the foursome present the Hi Tech Jazz EP. “Hi Tech Jazz”, as you may have guessed, is a cover version of one of the finest tracks in the Underground Resistance back catalogue, bobbing along with jazzy piano keys, swooning saxophone solos and an undisputable sophistication. Once we flip over, “Seven Colors” featuring Kazufumi Kodama brings a hint of the electronic with a dub tinged rhythm in its pallet to showcase why Quasimodo are so highly regarded.
DJ QU – Reiterate Vol. 1 [RMG001]
Out from the skies arrives Reiterate Music Group, offering 4 older cuts with new interpretations. A side is on the Afro percussive tip, B is more on the disco funk side w/edits by DJ Qu.
Asso – Do It Again [369.008]
Official release of the previously unreleased album of the famous 12” classic. ASSO the alter ego of italian producer Victorio Pezzolla is something like a Italo Disco one hit wonder. The Do it Again / Don’t Stop 12” has original been released in 1983 and is meanwhile one of the most sought after 12” releases from Italy. Unfortunately the related album hasen’t been brought to the market back in the 80’s. Victorio Pezzolla and Private Records rediscovered the original analog master tape some months ago in an archive of an Italian publisher. The absurdity that the music has never been commercially released leads to the fact that this masterpiece, a complete unreleased original 80’s album, will be brought to you fresh and unspent in 2012. Italo Disco, Space Funk and balearic grooves are combining to an unique Italo Disco release.
Unknown Artist – Unknown [LIES010.5]
Long Island Electrical Systems presents two very sick house jams from a mystery ‘super group’ of Brooklyn based producers.
Psychemagik – Heelin’ Feelin’ [PJPN001]
Psychemagik are back and this time it’s a limited edition issue of their Healin’ Feelin series edits on CD. Ass Nation, Make it Mellow, Diamond Star, Upskirt, Milky Way, Boogie Drome, For Your Love and Aldeia De Ogum are all present and correct and are joined by two previously unreleased and totally exclusive edits, Andalucia evokes images of sun drenched skies and dusty Andalucian mountains and a fresh drum heavy reworking of one of the duo’s first ever releases, on Discoteque Wreckers, Runnin’ Pt 2, that seems bound for dancefloor glory.
Reggie Blount – Shining Star [CCROWN007]
After the Dexter and Erik Travis releases its funkateer mr Blount getting freaky on his 2nd release! Hailing from New Zealand Reggie Blount made his debut 1.5 year ago on Clone Crown ltd. His Hard Times debut ep sold out straight away and got loads of fine feedback from the heads out there. This second ep starts with more crazy funky vocal p-funk tracks Flip side starts with the incredible track ”Hey”. One of those tracks that is able to give you goose bumps and grow on you to become one of those ”our tunes” kinda tracks you share with that special person. Ep is finnishing of with the beautiful wave electro funk kinda thing called Racecar! As if Garry Numan is doing some p-funk.
Uku Kuut – Vision Of Estonia [PPU034]
PPU’s first long-play LP highlights some of the early beginnings of one of our favorite producers, UKU KUUT. Written and recorded at UKU’s home studio in Los Angeles and Stockholm between 1982 & 1989. Some tracks co-written with Maryn E. Coote, famous jazz vocalist who had her beginnings in 1960s Soviet Union. ”That’s my MOM” recalls UKU, ”I remember when I was little, sitting under the mixing board at her sessions”. Growing up in studios, UKU’s love of music production began early, and over the years he has amassed a vast collection of domestic and soviet electronic gear. In true PPU style this LP is a mix of UKU KUUT’s raw cassette demos, forgotten masters and unreleased magic.
Marcello Napoletano pres. Ra Thout / The Brigante’s Orchestra – Born Free In The Land Of Nobody [MATH058]
Hot stuff Macello Napoletano dons his new guise as Ra Thout & The Brigante’s Orchestra but keeps loyal to his firm and releases on Mathematics. Anyway, Ra Thout is a totally different animal, frantic and aggressive, littered with raw electronics and tape saturation. “Catastophic Event” is an apt title for a rabid track that drags a multitude of squeals and sine tone abuse through rough drum box percussion and a fast, unrelenting tempo. “Man From Messapia” rides on a similar tempo but gets a bit funky, with filtered hooks and flanging pads. Deep, tech-funk with what sounds to me like a crazy vocoder line going absolutely off-it through the track. “The Man Who Can Do Anything” is a low-slung chugger with quite organic percussion and a subby bass. Breaking delicately through the mix is a wonderful lead flute line which contrasts well against the sludgy groove. “Terra Tra Due Mari” is totally nuts, mangling a free-jazz workout against jagged guitars and ridiculous amounts of bass. Hard to pin down, and quite unlike anything else but imagine some of Madlib’s Yesterdays New Quintet work being tweaked by Jamal Moss then mixed and mastered into some aggressive psychedelic B-side and you’re halfway there.
Grand Prix – Mach 1 [SF67987]
Reissue for this super-rare space funk album from 1983, one of the holy grails of the Cosmic scene. Extremely expensive and hard-to-find in the original, this LP was created by legendary French producers Jean-Pierre Massiera and Bernard Torelli (listed here as Areisam and Bernie) and released on French label Savoir Faire. It is a superb example of the duos innovative electronic disco madness, always pushing boundaries while remaining supremely funky. Stand-outtracks are the Italo classic “Challenger” – heady synths, tough bass and astronaut vocals combine in a strange space odyssey, “Cruisin”, a superb electro-boogie style cut with a hypnotic driving bassline, and the fantastic “On The Border”, a tight funky percussive workout whipped by wild space-rock guitars.
Gendroid – Back To The Past EP [SAUR007]
Ukrainian producer Gendroid has managed to travel to the past. He projected his body (and his soul as well) in the early 80s, for capture what happened in the Hip Hop/Electro scene, when Roland TR-808 and Oberheim DMX were the “hearts” of syncopated rhythms of breakdance. Gendroid is walking on the streets of LA, with a big radio on the shoulder, and he is starting acrobatic dance on the tracks of his EP. Vocoder, scratches, break rhythms and a lot of basses are the main ingredients. When the show is at the end, the time machine is turn on again to push the time traveler until the age of dinosaurs.
FLO Crew – Over These Years & You Won’t Need Me [TTHR-DR007]
First released on Beautiful Granville Records, the band FLO Crew, meaning For Lovers Only Crew, was meant to be an outline for an actual performing band. In Other words, all instruments heard on the FLO Crew recordings were meant to be assigned to instrumentalists, leaving these recordings as, actually, templates of song concepts. Thus, featured here are all instruments composed and recorded by Tevo Howard. Simply put, FLO Crew is Tevo Howard’s funk Band. The Band itself addresses all aspects of romantic love, which includes breakup songs like the one featured here. The band should be considered a funk outfit that pays its own funky way of looking at many genres and tempos. Both tracks in this selection are in their original arrangements and re-mastered.
The Hipodrome Of Music 