Friday, August 28, 2009

TheRapist

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Technically I am breaking the rules by taking my own free time to post one of these (instead of using work time), but I've actually been busy at work. I never thought I'd see the day. So today is gonna be a super post to make up for all the days that I've missed. Hopefully someone will be psyched on this.

I'm once again realizing that I am a horrible promoter. The only time that I was ever able to cull a relatively largish group together, was when I guilt tripped people into coming to one of my dj nights using my birthday as an excuse. Pathetic I know, but effective. Plus I worry like a fucking little girl on her super sweet 16 that everyone is having a good time, and that everything will run smoothly. I really have no control in the end, and asking the same person 10 times throughout the night if they are alright will likely make them think I am a weirdo.

I'm putting up a bunch of tracks from Radar Records, which was a boogie label out of NYC. They release only a handful of 12"s from 1982 to 1984, most notably Reach Up by Toney Lee which isn't gonna be posted here cuz its on like every other blog.
Barbara Fowler - Come and Get My Lovin'
Key-Matic - Breakin in Space
Arnie's Love - I'm Out of Your Life

Also I'm gonna put up an exclusive remix of I Know You Got Soul by Eric B and Rakim, done by a buddy of mine, Loose Shus (www.myspace.com/thedmv). Its a short 2 min teaser, but some serious heat notheless. An exclusive for my shitty blog, what what!
Eric B & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul (Loose Shus Remix)

The last track is Feel Alright by Komiko which is a slow tempo italo/disco jam off of SAM records out of long island city. Check out a little blurb about that label here http://www.disco-disco.com/labels/sam.shtml.
Komiko - Feel Alright

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

How High Can You Get On An Airplane

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I'm starting to realize that this blog is more of a personal diary for me, than an informative music resource for anyone else (which is exactly the opposite of my original intention), and I'm just gonna go with it. It sucks as I hate the blogs about how "today I ate a salad with salsa on it and it was good, but I did not agree with Dell Taco's choice of sauce; too much vinegar!". I also hate the blogs that just paraphrase the allmusic write up of who ever the fuck they are posting about. And still, I'll admit that I do both of those things, and probably with less imagination than many others. Still I enjoy the smell of my own shit, so I'll likely continue doing it. After all I am entitled to bore the shit out of you on the blogosphere. Everyone is.

So that being said, my great epiphany of the day is that despite how much pain you think you are in, it is much better to just tolerate it than to take a hydrocodiene and continue to do normal office work. There are a few things that I've noticed which have been rather weird and unpleasant:
1. Spelling is worse
2. Stomach is making noises
3. Eyes are red
4. Paranoid that everyone knows I'm high
5. Hard to talk to people
6. I'm parched

On the positive side, I am actually doing work (although in a somewhat transient state. I'll have to check on the quality of it tomorrow), and my back sort of hurts less. Enough rambling.

Today's posted song, I discovered from the blog American Athelete, which is likely the best disco blog going at the moment (I give it full props, and there is a link to it on this site, check it out). But, I have to bring this up (no disrespect to the blog, but I'm taking names here), while people actually read that blog, mine, which no one reads, is in this one instance better, as my version of the song is higher in kbps quality (HaHa!). Freakin Time Part II, by Asphalt Jungle is quite possibly my favor disco jam of all time. The chorus is a mantra that I've adopted, and I chant it to myself when I am seeking a boost in confidence (if I'm about to dejam the copy machine, "Can I freak you baby...Cuz its freakin time"). I dare you to find a better chorus. I immediately had to find the single, and that very day, I grabbed a copy off ebay for $6 dollars shipped. Success! On my deathbed I will probably remember that and I don't know whether that is a positive or negative reflection on my life. I know nothing about the band other than that they are from Philly and didn't put out much stuff.
Asphalt Jungle - Freakin Time Part II

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Spinal Tap

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Ack, Back Pain! The worst type of pain other than ball pain if you are a man. Would you rather get kicked in the back or the balls? I would choose back any day of the week (except maybe today, as I am in constant pain). I hope I don't end up like that one junkie from Taxi who was on celebrity rehab. He claimed that all his drug abuse stemmed from back pain incurred during an accident on set, so he couldn't be blamed for his addictions to heroin, morphine, and Oxycontin. Anyways, my advise to anyone reading this is not to move all of your records by yourself from place to place in two days, and then go skateboarding and surfing in the same day. After the skate session, my back was killing me, and when I told my friends that I didn't think I'd be going surfing later, my chiropractor called me a pussy (by the way I hang out with my chiropractor). Well it looks like I got the last laugh (braugh) as my back is totally fucked.

So when thinking of a track to post that would possibly soothe my spine, I got into the vibe of Misdemeanor by Foster Sylvers. The youngest of the Sylvers clan (a southern family funk/soul and eventually disco group similar to the Jackson 5), Foster Sylvers put out his own solo album in 1973 on Pride, in an attempt to become the poor man's Michael Jackson. Written by his brother Leon Sylvers, Misdemeanor was the first top 10 R&B for Fosters, then age 11. The Sylvers as a group later went on to record a couple decent disco albums, penned the million selling hit Boogie Fever, and generally went relatively unnoticed through out the 80s, and 90s. Apparently their family, unlike the Jacksons, did not use beatings and fear tactics to produce super-stardom. Later, Dr. Dre after ending ties with NWA, sampled the track for Its Funky Enough by the D.O.C. on the album No One Can Do It Better, which was how I initially was introduced to it.
Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanor

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Oh Yeah...

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So I was looking through a bunch of blogs (aka business as per usual) and I realized that I had my own blog again, and that I haven't updated that little guy in hot minute. So I'm typing this while I'm on hold with some publishing company for work, and I'm almost willing to bet that I can finish this whole post before I even talk to anyone. The track for today is a jam that was on the Elaste Vol.2 compilation put out on Compost Records (shucks, I just lost my ficticious bet by the way), which was compiled and mixed by Tom Weiland from 7 Samurai and Panoptikum. The mix itself is great, but of course, all great mixes leave me wanting full length copies of the originals, if not ultimately the originals themselves. I was initially kind of butt-hurt because the first Elaste comp was all tracks, and the second was mixed, so I couldn't get my grubby hands on the tracks, and there was little to no chance that I'd find some of these tracks anywhere in my lifetime. Anyways, poor old me did stumble upon a vinyl copy of Elaste Vol. 2 which did have most of the tracks, and definately all of the ones that I wanted in their full length form. I'd suggest you find it and buy it.

The track that I'm putting up is by Stroer, aka Hans Peter Stroer, who is a German musician and filmaker (I guess). I took a look at his website, which even when translated, still hurt my brain, so I'm officially over doing research on this guy at least for now. I tried to paste in something from his site, and messed my whole operation up here (I had to start over, sort of!), so watch out as his technology is dangerous. What I will tell you is that dude was featured as a studio musician on a bunch of disco and pop records, for the likes of Amanda Lear, La Bionda, Donna Summer and Falco. Here is his site, prepare your mind, http://www.hpstroeer.com/. Anyways, the song is Don't Wait Till Breakfast, and its amazing, both lyrically and production-wise.

Stroer - Don't Wait Till Breakfast

PS - Today's photo is of of my old roommate's collection of condoms. I know it relates to the post in no way, but if you look at any of my posts, I think that only one has had a direct correlation thus far. That being said, Alan Hynes, is one of the more talented graphic designers of our day, and his posters really set him aside from the pack. So check out this interview with him on someone else's blog, its really cool, http://omgposters.com/2009/07/30/ten-questions-with-alan-hynes/ Also check out more of his posters here, http://www.gigposters.com/designer/6171_Alan_Hynes.html