Thursday 29 October 2009

LINDSTROM & PRINS THOMAS - ESSENTIAL MIX - SUNDAY 6TH MAY 2007




After a day or 2 of getting totally lost in the double disc version of Lindstrom's sprawling 2008 LP "Where you go, I go too" (Which I can't recommend enough) I thought it made perfect sense to post this monster essential mix by the man himself & his main partner in crime Prins Thomas.


Alot has been written, posted & said about these Norweigan purveyors of "Space Disco" , "New Balearic" , "Cosmic House" or whatever you want to call it with Prins Thomas' expert re-edits showing up in the record bags of all the top gun DJ's around the world, his labels Full Pupp & Internasjonal putting out a stream of amazing releases & with Lindstrom remixing everyone from The Boredoms to LCD Soundsystem I feel that the hype is justified ...


Below is the full tracklist :


1. Al Usher ‘Her Today’ (Misericord)
2. Aeroplane ‘Aeroplane’ (Eskimo)
3. Lindstrøm & Solale ‘Let It Happen’ (Azuli)
4. In Flagranti ‘Bipolar’ (Codek)
5. No Theory ‘Devils Dance’ (Sin&Soul)
6. Lindstrøm ‘Musikal Overtones’ (Feedelity)
7. Sneak Thief G-String Orchestra ‘My Sullen Mistress’ (Klakson)
8. Ytre Rymden Dansskola ‘Kjappfot(PT Edit)’ (Full Pupp)
9. Runaway ‘Shadows’ (Wurst)
10. Max Mohr ‘Assonja Swynja’ (Playhouse)
11. Dettman Vs.Moroder ‘Quicksand/Utopia Mash’ (White Label)
12. Faze Action ‘Stratus Energy’ (White Label)
13. M-D-Emm ‘Get Acidic’ (Transmat)
14. Centrific ‘Somebody Went To Detroit And All I Got Was The Itchy Hawtins’(Drop Bass Network)
15. Unknown
16. Fleetwood Mac ‘You Make Lovin' Fun (Trailmix)’ (White Label)
17. Mark E ‘Rnb Drunkie’ (Golf Channel)
18. Wild Rumpus ‘Musical Blaze Up (Rub & Tug Bitches Remix)’ (Bitches Brew)
19. Chairmen Of The Board ‘Party’ (Invictus)
20. (Interlude) Rare Earth ‘Get Ready(Live Version)’ (EMI/Motown)
21. Niagara ‘Sangandongo Part 1’ (White Label)
22. Solomun & Stimming ‘Eiszauber(Diynamic’ (White Label)
23. Still Going ‘Still Going Theme’ (DFA)
24. Lindstrøm ‘Contemporary Fix (Bjørn Torske Remix)’ (Smalltown Supersound)
25. Nick Chacona ‘Mariacha’ (Internasjonal)
26. Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas ‘Nummer Fire En’ (Short Edit)



Hope you enjoy this mix as much as I did, like I mentioned in an earlier post I'll mostly be posting mixes until I get round to doing some vinyl rips from my collection .. keep 'em peeled!!





"Let it happen"


Essential Mix - 2007-05-06 - LINDSTROM & PRINS THOMAS by Bobbyhands

Wednesday 28 October 2009

SCANDEL - JUST LET ME DANCE

As we have LEO ZERO coming down to play at SPECIAL NEEDS this Saturday I thought I'd post a record that he has edited, Scandel - 'Just let me dance'. I picked up this 12" a wee while back and its been on heavy rotation since. Now, when someone edits a track that I dig as much as this one I tend to turn my nose up a wee bit. But that is not the case here, LEO has dubbed this out in a way that only he can, his editing is stuttered yet seamless?. Have a listen to the creative cutting and looping, the way he combines the vox with the piano line around the 3 minute mark is simply magic.





The original was released on SAM, one of the greats as far as disco labels go. Over on discomusic.com they state that this could have been Jim Burgess' last work before he died. They also point out how it's almost a bridge between the 70's and 80's. It was in fact released in 1980 and the strings are certainly a sound more synonymous with the late 70's, while the rap during the break is definitely a taste of what was to come in the 80's. One thing that I have to mention is the production, this is Burgess at his best. Everything is on point, the string arrangements, the FULL team of vocalists, the guitar licks, the fender rhodes, THAT bass line.. They just don't make dance music like this anymore!

While doing some research for this post, I came across traxsource.com. Its a website dedicated to selling music in digital format, what I like about it is they give you the option of buying your track or 'file' in 192k, 320k or WAV format. DJ's reading this, if you are going to use Serato or CD's, please try to use WAV files.

SAM records was set up by the late Sam Weiss in 1976 and it was his son that eventually started Nervous records (yes, the hip hop label). It seems that Nervous are reissuing some of the back catalogue of SAM releases. HERE you can buy a WAV of 'Just let me dance' from traxsource for a measly $2.74US. To read more about SAM, one of the power houses in disco music click HERE.

Sorry peeps, low quality mp3 of this one...
Scandel - Just let me dance by Mr. Smith

You can buy the edit which came out this year on Glory's HERE from juno.
Just Dance (Leo Zero Rework) by Mr. Smith

Friday 23 October 2009

DAVID BENDETH - FEEL THE REAL


This little number's a stone cold classic that went all the way to No.1 on the U.K soul and dance charts in 1979. London born David Bendeth is a Guitarist and Producer that is still working today. He has done it all in the music industry really, from working in a record store as a teenager, to being a major label executive. If you would like to hear some of his more recent work as a producer CLICK. This tune oozes so much soul and I think thats what does it for me. That coupled with the amazing instrumentation, it kind of remind's me of Roy Ayers. I hope you like it as much as I do (and the British public of 1979 did!).

If your out and about this coming Saturday night be sure to come and check out Bobby Hands and I at SHIFT at the Horse & Groom in Shoreditch. Upstairs will be a very heavy night of all things DISCO. LINK.


David Bendeth - Feel the real by Mr. Smith

Wednesday 21 October 2009

DANIELE BALDELLI - LIVE MIX NO.2


As promised dear readers, here's the second live mix from Italian DJ deity Daniele Baldelli (I think it's late 70's / early 80's? If anyone has any info, please contact us).
Still more on a Disco tip than any of his "Cosmic" offerings but just as well mixed & executed as the NYE one i posted not long ago. This one is also a real treat..


Compared to the NYE mix this one is a bit more frenzied & Baldelli throws in some serious leftfield selections - Tony Silvester's porno-Disco killer "Pazuzu" & Davis Import's "I'm glad you're mine" alongside tracks like Silvetti's Salsoul classic "Spring rain" & LTD's "Back in love again" & tracks from tartan terrorists The Baycity Rollers (!) & an absolute killer from glam rockers The Sweet! As you can imagine there are lot's of other incredible records on there i'd give my right arm for!
This mix has all the exact same hallmarks & qualities as the NYE mix, & that's why i'm assuming they're from the same period .. bascally, this is essential old school Baldelli.


The same thing applies here too as last time, some people who are out there in DJ land could really do with listening to these mixes, I mean, they're inspirational, honestly, I've studied these mixes over & over again (I know, geek!) but as a DJ myself, i've learnt alot from them too .. that's what's missing these days, people don't study their art anymore .. it's all instant gratification & rubbish MP3 quality DJing .. people don't wanna go looking for records .. Anyways ..
OK. Enough grumbling, hope you guys enjoy this mix as much as you did the last installment.



ENJOY!


Daniele Baldelli - Live mix no.2 by Bobbyhands


PS - If anyone has any info on this mix please email us.
(BIG shout out to Xanthe Fuller on this one!)

Thursday 15 October 2009

DANIELE BALDELLI - LIVE NYE 1978




It's almost the weekend folks, i'm sure you'll all be going out dancing at some stage over the next couple of days, I thought i'd drop another fine mix on you, a little "something for the weekend" to get you into the right frame of mind ...


May I take this opportunity to welcome our very own Joe Smith back after his few weeks in Cyber limbo (see post below this) Nice to have you back Joe ...


Now, back to business ...


As far as DJ mixes go, I think this is one of the finest i've ever heard, really.
It's hard to believe this mix is from 1979, everything about it is heavy, from the selections to the mixing to the EQ'ing .. Baldelli kills it.


Everybody knows Baldelli these days from the whole "Cosmic Disco" revival that's been rammed down our throats over the last few years but there isn't ANYTHING "Cosmic" about this mix of his, this is straight up DISCO & to be honest, for me, it shits on alot of the so called "Cosmic" mixes i've heard (though there are some great ones out there, check out Beppe Loda).
This is the first 1 of 2 mixes by Baldelli in this style I will be posting, although i'm not totally sure where or when the second one is from it's just as good as this NYE mix (in fact a couple of the same tracks pop up) if not a little wilder & a tad more leftfield.


Like I mentioned earlier Baldelli has made something of a comeback in recent years playing at clubs like Horse Meat Disco here in the capital, having seen him play more than once I can tell you he is definitely worth checking out & his mixing skills & selections are second to none, I remember the dancefloor erupting to an insane re-edit of Paul McCartney's "Temporary secretary" & Torchsongs "P2E Remix" amongst other things on one particularly sweaty night .. but this mix we have here is more on the Disco tip, with tracks like El Coco's "Mondo Disco" & Bohannon's "Disco Symphony", listen & you'll see what I mean ..





I've recieved, listened to, played, loved & hated alot of mixes over the years, but this one does it for me every time, it really is almost flawless, I keep going back to it .. & YOU will too, I believe it puts alot of contemporary DJ's to shame - skills wise & selection wise, honestly, some heads could learn a thing or 2 by listening to this.


Oh, and if all that wasn't enough, GUESS what the last record on the mix is???


Daniele Baldelli - NYE 1978 by Bobbyhands


PS - Keep 'em peeled for the 2nd mix to be posted.
(BIG shout to James Hillard on this one!)

A'O'K - STYLE

Its been a while... For a host of reasons I have been offline for a while, the main one being that my laptop died about 6 weeks ago (RIP). Yesterday I became the proud new owner of a brand new Macbook Pro. Now, this is a music blog so I don't want to harp on too much about Apple but this is one sexy machine and I can't recommend it highly enough to everyone out there, but I am sure you don't need me to tell you that.





I have for you today the aptly titled 'Style' by A'O'K off West End (1984). I can't tell you much about them, This was thier only release and I can only guess that they were one of a string of 'one hit' groups, that were made up of session players in and around New York in the early 80's . I heard this track a while back and kept an eye out for a copy to come available in the U.K so as I didn't have to fork out an arm and a leg for postage. It happens to be one of the few West End 12"s not to get U.K distribution so is a bit harder to find than some others. After about 6 months or so one popped up and I nabbed it. When it arrived in the mail I was delighted to see it had nine and a half minute instrumental on the flip (the vocal version is 5:40). It's a percussive led number with subtle yet hypnotic bass, and layers and layers of relentless synths. I can't decide if I prefer the vocal or the instrumental so I am going to post them both and you can decide for yourself. I would like to have heard a Scientist style dub that incorporated some more of the vox, but hey... we can't have it all can we!


A'O'K - Style by Mr. Smith


A'O'K - Style (instrumental) by Mr. Smith

P.S I have to shout out to Bobby Hands for keeping this blog alive over the last couple of months.. Nice one Bobby!

Tuesday 13 October 2009

DJ RAHAAN - SO RIGHT


DJ Rahaan - A name synonymous with quality .. anyone who has been lucky to hear a Rahaan mixtape or catch this Chicago DJ spin live will agree wholeheartedly with that statement .. I was lucky enough to be hit off with 4 or 5 of his mixes recently & believe me they've been on HEAVY rotation for weeks now .. what I dig personally about his mixes is that they're a nice balance of rare and not so rare Disco joints & styles & the selection & mixing are impeccable, on top of that he's put out some nice edits too on labels like KAT, JISCOMUSIC & (one of my faves right now) Chicago's STILOVE4MUSIC (I recommend his reworks of Timmy Thomas' "Why can't we live together?" & Loletta Holloway's amazing "Hit & Run").


Needless to say, after a few listens, i'm a believer ..





If, like me, you dig serious dancefloor Disco sounds, perfectly programmed, seamlessly mixed & EQ'ed to death in that old school, funky way we all love then you too will be a believer! (That is if you're not familiar with him of course .. if you are, then you know what i'm saying already) .. right now, for me personally it's ALL about Chicago DJ's, mixes by Sadar Bahar, Jerome Derradji , Bruce Ivery & of course Rahaan sit nicely beside my Ron Hardy, Frankie Knuckles & WBMX mixes ..


Out of all the mixes I was given "So right" has been getting the most spin, it's got some killer music on it, including a dope edit of 2Tons of fun's "Make someone feel happy today". Rahaan brings the mix to an amazing climax with the live version of Sylvester's "You make me feel (mighty real)" taken off the "Living proof" LP before finishing with a nice extended edit of Imagination's classic - "So good, So right", but they're just a couple of personal highlights .. the rest of the mix is KILLER too, tracklist please!!


I know this mix has been around for a while (I'll be posting the others I mentioned too)but as usual there is always somebody who may have missed out first time round (Shout out to our reader Nate over at deskjobblog.blogspot.com in Cali!), which is why i've posted it again here .. so EVERYBODY can enjoy it & remember! If Rahaan passes through your neighbourhood be sure to check him out & say Hi .. you won't be disappointed.


Spread the LOVE.


DJ Rahaan - So right. by Bobbyhands

Monday 5 October 2009

SINE - CHIMI




After a weekend of listening mainly to Patrick Adams & P&P related tracks I thought I would share one of my personal favourites from that stable with you - "Chimi" by Sine, taken from the LP "Happy is the only way" on Prelude this is as you'd expect some serious synth heavy Boogie Disco shit!!
I've had this LP for many years & rediscovered it recently after hearing "Chimi" on an amazing Daniele Baldelli mixtape from the tail end of the 70's, time to dig it out again I thought ...


This track & one other cut ("Mosquito walk" as sampled by Joey Negro's Sunburst Band for "Delicious") from the LP really do it for me, I think this was one of Adams' less high profile projects (He has worked with Candi Staton, Leroy Burgess, Daybreak etc) & was an outlet for him to be a bit more experimental with the synthesizer & boy does it work!!
Those of you familiar with Adams' work already will know what I mean, you only have to listen to any of his Cloud One material which is very synth heavy & very spaced out ... for the uninitiated just have a listen to another couple of faves of mine - "Atmosphere strut" & "Disco juice" on P&P to hear Patrick's trademark squiggly synths, great!!


This is a straight up incessant groove, complete with Pat's synths & some dope vibes all the way through, it sounds like it could easily be a Cloud One record with it's subtle shuffling drums, I love it & hope you guys out there dig it too ...


Enjoy!





Sine - Chimi by Bobbyhands


PS - Just as a little bonus, HERE is another stone cold classic Patrick Adams classic (In my opinion, anyway!) that someone had the good grace to post up on Youtube in it's 12" glory for us to enjoy, I'm still trying to find an original 12" of this that dosen't cost the earth, it's on my ever expanding list of wants!! Just sit back & check those flanged hi-hats midway through, Woosh!!