Category Archives: Disco
BACKBEATS: PHILLY GEMS-MORE PHILLY DISCO FLOOR-FILLERS.
BACKBEATS: PHILLY GEMS-MORE PHILLY DISCO FLOOR-FILLERS One of the music industry’s big success stories of recent years has been Harmless Records’ Backbeats compilation series. In the last three years, the Backbeats’ compilation series has grown to become the world’s most popular compilation series. That is a remarkable achievement. We shouldn’t be surprised though. After all, …
THE MUGGSY STORY.
THE MUGGSY STORY. Although Johnny De Mairo’s name is synonymous with Henry Street Records, the label he founded with Tommy Musto in 1993, that wasn’t the only label he founded. Not at all. Once Henry Street Records was an established label, and had forged a reputation as one of the most innovative and influential labels …
SWEAT BAND-SWEAT BAND.
SWEAT BAND-SWEAT BAND. After George Clinton and his manager Archie Ivy formed Uncle Jam Records, the nascent label’s first release was the debut album from Bootsy Collins newly formed P-Funk supergroup Sweat Band. Formed out of the ashes of Bootsy’s Rubber Band, Sweat Band was a short-lived P-Funk group, who released just one album in 1980. …
CANDIDO-DANCIN’ AND PRANCIN.’
CANDIDO-DANCIN’ AND PRANCIN.’ Two of the most innovative record labels in the history of modern music are Blue Note and Salsoul Records. However, there was only one artist who released albums on both labels. That artist is legendary Cuban percussionist, Candido, who released two albums for Salsoul in 1979. Candido’s Salsoul debut was Dancin’ and …
SKYY-SKYY LINE.
SKYY-SKYY LINE. By the time Skyy released their fourth album for Salsoul Records, Skyy Line, which was recently rereleased by BBR Records, Salsoul, and indeed music, had changed dramatically. Between 1975 and 1979, Salsoul Records had established a reputation as disco’s premier label. Salsoul Records gained a reputation as an innovative and influential label, who …
THE TRAMMPS-DISCO INFERNO.
THE TRAMMPS-DISCO INFERNO. Eight months after The Trammps released Where The Happy People Go in April 1976, they released their third studio album Disco Inferno In December 1976. A year after The Trammps released Disco Inferno, which was rereleased by WEA Japan on 30th April 2013, their career was totally transformed. This transformation took place …
JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M&M MIXES VOLUME 3 INSTRUMENTALS.
JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M&M MIXES VOLUME 3 INSTRUMENTALS. Compilations of John Morales’ remixes are a bit like London buses, you wait ages for one, then two come along at once. After releasing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful The M&M Mixes Volume 2 in March 2011, John Morales spent the next years working not just …
SALSOUL PRESENTS-PHILLY SOUL FLAVAS.
SALSOUL PRESENTS-PHILLY SOUL FLAVAS. There aren’t many musicians who played their part in making two separate record labels the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful, innovative and influential labels in the history of music. However, back in the late sixties in Philadelphia, a group of supremely talented musicians began working together. This included the Baker, Harris, …
DISCO RECHARGE: EVELYN THOMAS-I WANNA MAKE IT ON MY OWN AND HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME.
DISCO RECHARGE: EVELYN THOMAS-I WANNA MAKE IT ON MY OWN AND HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME. On 1975, DJ and producer Ian Levine headed to America is search of artists he could record for his newly founded production company Voltafine. Ian’s idea was to record American soul singers, then lease the recordings to major …
DISCO RECHARGE: GRAND TOUR ON SUCH A WINTER’S DAY AND SOUTHERN EXPOSURE HEADIN’ SOUTH-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE: GRAND TOUR ON SUCH A WINTER’S DAY AND SOUTHERN EXPOSURE HEADIN’ SOUTH-SPECIAL EDITION. Back in 1976, in Toronto, Canada, a musical partnership that resuled in some of the most innovative music of the disco era was formed. This partnership was made up of Willi Morrison, who was born in Scotland, but moved to …
GIORGIO MORODER-ON THE GROOVE TRAIN VOLUME 2 1974-1985.
GIORGIO MORODER-ON THE GROOVE TRAIN VOLUME 2 1974-1985. One of the founding fathers of Euro Disco was the Italian born producer Giorgio Moroder. His career started back in 1966, when he released several singles as Giorgio. It wasn’t until 1969 when Giorgio Moroder first enjoyed commercial success. His 1969 single Looky, Looky, which was released …
OVERDOSE OF THE HOLY GHOST-COMPILED BY DAVID HILL.
OVERDOSE OF THE HOLY GHOST-COMPILED BY DAVID HILL Sometimes, compilations can be anodyne affairs, with record labels and compilers scared to release compilations of innovative, leftfield music. This results in labels playing it safe and releasing compilations that although not innovative, will pay the bills. Thankfully, there are some labels out their willing to release …
VINCE MONTANA JR-FAREWELL TO A TRUE MUSICAL INNOVATOR.
VINCE MONTANA JR-FAREWELL TO A TRUE MUSICAL INNOVATOR. Vince Montana Jr. who passed away on 13th April 2013, aged eighty-five, was one of the most innovative, influential and pioneering musicians in the history of popular music. However, referring to Vince as a musician is an understatement. He was also a songwriter, conductor, arranger and producer. …
SALSOUL PRESENTS: THE DEFINITIVE 12” MASTERS VOLUME 2.
SALSOUL PRESENTS: THE DEFINITIVE 12” MASTERS VOLUME 2. Recently, I was asked by a friend to recommend a Salsoul Records compilation. They’d heard a couple of songs from Salsoul’s illustrious back-catalogue, and decided they wanted to dig deeper. Realizing that I was huge fan of all things disco, and especially Salsoul, they asked if i …
SALSOUL PRESENTS: THE DEFINITIVE 12” MASTERS VOLUME 1.
SALSOUL PRESENTS: THE DEFINITIVE 12” MASTERS VOLUME 1. With so many Salsoul compilations having been released over the past twenty years, any newcomer to Salsoul Records is spoiled for choice. Indeed, anyone looking to discover disco’s premier label, will be confused by the sheer variety of Salsoul compilations on offer. Sadly, Salsoul compilations fall into …
SALSOUL PRESENTS: DISCO DIVAS AND SOULFUL SISTA FLAVAS.
SALSOUL PRESENTS: DISCO DIVAS AND SOULFUL SISTA FLAVAS. when you look back at the history of Salsoul Records, you realize they weren’t short of some stunning female vocalists. Loleatta Holloway, First Choice, Charo, Carol Williams, Jocelyn Brown from Inner Life, The Sweethearts of Sigma, Brenda Gooch and Claudja Barry. Each of these divas feature on …
GARY CRISS-RIO DE JANEIRO.
GARY CRISS-RIO DE JANEIRO. Recently when I was reviewing a new Salsoul Records compilation, The Salsoul Records Story, which was recently released by Gold Legion, I was pleased to discover that the compilers had included Gary Criss’ Rio De Janeiro. This was the title-track to the only album Gary Criss released on Salsoul Records. Rio …
JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-THE MONSTER STRIKES AGAIN.
JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-THE MONSTER STRIKES AGAIN. By 1979, John Davis and The Monster Orchestra had released three albums between 1976 and 1976. Their debut albums for SAM Records was 1976s Night and Day. 1977s Up Jumped The Devil and 1978s Ain’t That Enough For You followed. These three albums cemented John Davis …
DISCO RECHARGE-THP ORCHESTRA-EARLY RISER AND TOO HOT FOR LOVE.
DISCO RECHARGE-THP ORCHESTRA-EARLY RISER AND TOO HOT FOR LOVE. One of the phenomenons of the disco era was the disco orchestra. Following the success of The Salsoul Orchestra, other record companies decided they too, wanted their own disco orchestra. Soon, disco orchestras were springing up throughout America. It seemed no American city was immune from …
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