SOFT ROCKS - FIRMAMENT BERLIN MIXTAPE

Here's a lovely mix from Brighton's original crew of left field Balearic Disco deviants SOFT ROCKS which was originally recorded for Berlin's deluxe street-wear store FIRMAMENT & then picked up by me for 50p at MVE.
I've had this mix on rotation for months now, it's been around for quite a while & it's a killer, Taking in everything from The Eurythmics B-Side "Monkey Monkey" & Shitans obscure "Disco Shitan" to the sounds of Voom-Voom's Henrik Schwarz remixed "Best Friend" with plenty of other tracks along the way expertly selected & blended for our listening pleasure.


Even though I just spent almost 2 weeks in Berlin I never made it to the FIRMAMENT shop, but from what I gather it's THE spot in the city to cop your STUSSY, SUPREME & VISVIM gear if that's your bag & apparently they even stock JUNIOR BOY'S OWN tees too!


Firmament Berlin.



SOFT ROCK's output is always worth checking if you like things a little more oddball, slower & more left field. DJ wise they always dig a bit deeper & spin a healthy selection of weird & wonderful records alongside disco obscurities & killer underground House grooves, On top of that they've put out a slew of quality releases since 2003 & I can't recommend them enough with "Midnight Drive" & their latest 12" "In the house" being personal favourites. Take a look at their releases page HERE. I've also included a Youtube clip of "Midnight drive" for your enjoyment which sounds like some amazing, lost 80's action movie end title:





Now, on to the music...


Grab the mix below, Click on the arrow on the right to D/L.
SOFT ROCKS - FIRMAMENT BERLIN MIXTAPE by Bobby Hands


BTW - If anyone can fully track-list this mix, Please, Get in touch!

DJ REGAL - THE BRONX IS BURNING

Here we have killer mix from DJ, Beat-maker & former BRONX DOG & WISEGUY - DJ Regal.


"The Bronx is burning" is a journey through the sounds of inner city NYC spanning from the early 70's to the paranoid, murderous citywide blackout of the "Summer of Sam" in the late 70's. The mix taking it's name from the 1972 FDNY documentary of the same name is a mini-soundtrack to what Regal says were "5 tumultuous years in Bronx History, which spawned so much, from so little..."


If you're a Beat-head, a B-Boy, a Disco fiend or a lover of Ruff Ghetto Soul then this mix is definitely for you!! Expertly programmed & mixed by someone with an unhealthy obsession of all things BX.
If all this 1970's New York stuff floats your boat then you should really wrap your eyeballs round this documentary from VH1 called "NY77 - The coolest year in Hell" which looks utterly AMAZING if this trailer is anything to go by:





Impressive, huh? Anyways, big up to DJ Regal for letting us post this killer of a mix & big up to you guys for reading, TGD may be a little quiet for the next week or 2 as i'm off to Berlin ransacking for records & Mr.Smith is STILL sunning himself in New Zealand!! But we'll be back soon - Stay tuned.





THE BRONX IS BURNING
1973-79


1) LEROY HUTSON – “THE GHETTO ‘74” (1974)
2) 20TH CENTURY STEEL BAND – “HEAVEN & HELL” (JOHN PEEL SESSION ‘75)
3) BUMBLEBEE UNLIMITED – “LADY BUG” (1978)
4) HIDDEN STRENGTH – “HUSTLE ON UP (DO THE BUMP)” (1975)
5) JOE SIMON – “COME GET TO THIS” (1976)
6) JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH – “DON’T DO THAT!” (1979)
7) KOOL & THE GANG – “RATED X” (1973)
8) EARTH WIND & FIRE – “DREAMS” (1974) PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
9) THE BLACKBYRDS – “THE BABY” (1974)
10) HERBIE MANN – “RHYTHMATISM” (1977) REGAL RE-EDIT
11) LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA – “KING KONG” (1976) REGAL RE-EDIT
12) SALSOUL ORCHESTRA – “212 N. 12TH” (1979)


Click arrow on right for D/L.
DJ REGAL - THE BRONX IS BURNING by theghettodisco


A REGAL JOINT
APRIL 2010


(DEDICATED TO: THE UNBREAKABLE CREW, ALL FBV, SEAN P, RICHARD SEN, GPA,
MR GLASS, FRENZIE, EDSEVEN, LIZ, MALACHI, G-MAN, MICKI, SUN & JENNY D.)

OLD SCHOOL RULES

We DIG DJ MURO over here.

PEANUT BUTTER WOLF - UN-AIRED RADIO MIX

....Of course, I could be wrong.


This lil' beauty landed in my lap a couple of years ago & has since sat on my top shelf gathering dust along with 100's of other CD-R's here at TGDHQ...


Until now!!


An old friend who had an old friend who happened to host a prime-time radio show here in London on one of the 'big' stations (I'm not at liberty to say...Oh OK, XFM!) obtained & handed me this non-descript CD-R a couple of summers ago, telling me who it was by & that I should 'Check it out...'
I got around to checking it out eventually, a bit perplexed on the first few go's, thinking 'Damn, this isn't even mixed!' but gradually started enjoying the loose mixing & pretty bugged-out selection which make it an interesting listen.
I was informed at the time that this mix had been pre-recorded for said radio station for the 'guest DJ' section of the show but then it never got aired, thus making it a little bit of an exclusive gem... My sources tell me it was available for a short time as a Stones Throw Podcast so here it is again...


I'm pretty much 99% certain that anyone reading this Blog is familiar with PEANUT BUTTER WOLF or his record label STONES THROW & all the amazing artists, releases & music they're responsible for, so i'm not going to bother writing an extensive discography this time, check the links!!


Having revisited the mix this afternoon I can tell you there's a bit of something for everyone on here, One of my favourite records EVER, some insane Disco-Rap in the shape of 'The Grandmaster Lover', Electro, JazzFunk, Breaks, HipHop, Psych, high school anti-drugs raps & even THE CURE live, covering THE DOORS 'Hello, I love you' taken, amazingly, from The Jonathan Ross show on BBC.


Check it out.





Click arrow on right for D/L.
Un-aired Peanut Butter Wolf Radio mix. by Bobbyhands

PEOPLES POTENTIAL UNLIMITED

I LOVE this label.


I bought their "Family Album" CD comp & "Ball Players" 7 inch last week & was getting ready to be underwhelmed.. I don't know why, maybe it's because there's been a real lack of quality stuff coming out recently, I feel a lil' uninspired, I expected yet another comp of lackluster tunes passing themselves off as "Disco" or "Boogie" or i'd had a couple of record buying trips that yielded some pretty pony stuff & was just down generally... either way, when I got home & listened to them both they blew my fuckin' socks off, pure quality.


Now i'm going to make an effort & support PPU wherever I see it.


I mean, this video is DOPE, right? What's not to like? & It's obvious to me these guys really love what they're doing & their hearts are in it & they are re-releasing killer obscure records that truly deserve a re-release, which is rare in today's world of records where everyone's mother is doing re-edits, re-issues & spinning "Disco-Boogie-Synth-psych-funk" & wheeling out any old tosh... all that and the artwork is cool too.


Nuff said.





Check out their online record store HERE too.

SILVER, PLATINUM & GOLD - DANCE WITH ME

Here we have a sublime piece of uptempo Disco-Soul from Hollywood's Silver, Platinum & Gold. I can't seem to find out much about this group & it seems they only released 1 single & 2 albums in their short career - 1976's self titled debut on FARR Records & 1981's "Hollywood" on Neptune which seems to have only reached the promo stage with no official release, it's from the latter "Dance with me" comes & it certainly does not disappoint.





Having already shown up on Dimitri From Paris & DJ Muro's amazing "Super Disco Friends" mix in re-edited form I thought I'd post the OG version which is just as effective! I picked this LP up at a well known South London vinyl haunt where the staff need a serious attitude-check, and for the mere sum of £3 it seems they needs some schooling too! One man's loss, eh?
The other killer cut on this album is the synth heavy sleaze of "Silver, Platinum & Gold theme" which seems very current & in line with the output of a certain Mr.Dam-Funk & all of this recent interest in "Boogie", if you dig this sound, you need this track, simple as.


Another of the group's tracks taken from their 1st LP ended up on Dimitri's "Disco Forever" comp, "I got a thing" was the number & as usual it got the chopping block treatment, I've included a Youtube clip of it here too for y'all.


Enjoy!


"I got a thing" (Dimitri from Paris re-edit).



Click arrow on right for D/L.
Dancewithme by Bobbyhands

KINKY BUS STOPS & THREESOMES

I was checking out DJ MURO's colossal 'King's of digging' CD on London's own BBE imprint (Alongside Kon & Amir) when this killer piece of sleazy funk came out of nowhere, the mix is pretty much straight BBOY material from beginning to end & slap bang in the middle of all the breaks is this ode to the Menage A Trois by the Bob Crewe Generation which made me pay attention.. not because it was a song about 3some's (Filthy!) but because i recognised it as being the OG of DEEP FUZZ's "Kinky bus stop" a dubbed out dancefloor monster BBOY edit that came out on DISCFUNCTION that has been getting alot of airtime at Casa Hands & wherever i'm DJing recently... Now the hunt is on for the OG 45!


So I thought i'd treat you guys to a little break to the beat excursion, Personally? I dig 'em both :


OG.



Click arrow on right for D/L.
07 Kinky Busstop by Bobbyhands

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME ...

...Since I posted, I'm sorry, what with the holidays & starting a new job I just don't have time!! But I'll be back on track after Xmas, big up Joe for keeping it moving ...


Anyway, check this amazing clip, I'm not sure if the lady in this clip realises how lucky she is to get a DJ lesson from Zulu king DJ Jazzy Jay & "Master of records" Afrika Bambataa but she sure looks like she's having fun ...





And remember, leave your dad's Ray Coniff LP's alone!!

ECHO PARTY

Inspirational.

THINK ABOUT IT ...

Classic Baxter rediscovered.

DJ DUANE'S "AFTER THE DANCE" GUEST MIX.

We're pleased to bring you this first installment of what is to be a regular slot here on The Ghetto Disco - our special guest DJ mix, where we host some selections & mixes from our friends & people whose music, tastes & styles we really dig here at HQ.
We thought we'd kick it off in fine style with a killer "40 mins of after-hours comedown femme fatale disco-soul" mix supplied by Brooklyn, NYC based DJ Duane - one half of devastating Disco edit duo - "Bim Marx" (Along with Jorge Velez a.k.a Professor Genius).


Duane has been a fixture in NYC's DJ scene for many years & has had a hand in many jams in the city during that time, most notably the Negroclash parties at APT in the early 00's (Alongside Prince Language & DJ Lindsey, guest DJ's included : Juan Atkins,Mr Fingers, Afrika Bambaataa, Red Alert, Maurice Fulton, Freddie Fresh, DJ Spinna and DJ Technics) & his current regular "Energy 2 burn" sessions at Brooklyn's Trophy bar as well as being a familiar face & buyer behind the counter at East 14th St's music emporium Other Music, on top of all that there's been a guest slot on Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space radio show & 2 EP's of Bim Marx edits on Chicago's mysterious STILOVE4MUSIC imprint which have found their way into DJ's bags & charts on both sides of the Atlantic, in Duane's words :


"The Bim Marx is a fun re-edit project Jorge and I do. We're both huge fans of the early productions of Armando, Danny Krivit, Kerri Chandler and those dirty Chicago edits of the late, great Hardy. We kinda felt like the human, jackin' aspects of that sound has all but disappeared, and we wanted to do something that tapped into that urban, dirty, off-kiltered sound."





As well as the re-edit projects Duane & Jorge have been remixing too, their remix of The Phenomonal Handclap Band's "15 to 20" is out now and you can grab it HERE & HERE & make sure you check out their 2 EP's on STILOVE4MUSIC - "Together" & "Lend a hand" for some serious dancefloor Disco edit action, they've both been in my bag for months now & trust me ... they work :


From the "Lend a hand" EP.



Now, on to Duane's mix, the tracklist looks a little something like this :


1.Tramaine - "Child of the king (12 dub mix)".
2.Faze-O - "Ridin' High (Waajeed remix feat. Tiombe Lockhart)".
3.Niteflyte - "If you want it".
4.Angela Bofil - "Tropical love".
5.Phillis Hyman - "Kiss you all over".
6.Deedee Bridgewater - "Lonely Disco dancer".
7.Vivian Reed - "Don't start something you can't finish".
8.Millie Jackson - "This is it".


Duane Harriott - "After the dance" by theghettodisco


Just want to say a big thanx to Duane for the dope mix & you can also check Bim Marx's guest slot on Beats in Space HERE.

DJ NUTS - BRAZIL

I stumbled upon Brazilian DJ Nuts' blog the other day & thought i'd recommend it to you guys, this guy is a killer DJ with an insane amount of records & skills to boot & he's pretty much the top Brazilian turntablist, he's appeared in B+'s "Brasilintime" documentary alongside Madlib, Egon & Cut Chemist as well as Soul, Funk, Jazz & Disco drumming legends James Gadson, Derf Reklaw, Wilson das Neves & Mamao.


Not only is DJ Nuts dope, but he's also VERY generous as he's upped all his "Cultura copia" & "Disco e cultura" mix CD's onto his blog for us all to download for FREE, these mixes are killer, some seriously rare Brazilian joints cut up & mixed by the man himself, get on these HERE!!


Also, here's a little bonus beat - Nuts in action at his house :





Enjoy!

ISAAC HAYES - I AIN'T NEVER

Isaac Hayes is an artist who needs no introduction, he is one of the most "sampled" artists ever, he's been behind some of the biggest soul records of the last 30 years, his career spanned decades & his contribution to music was huge, Isaac was a superstar, he was "Black Moses".
I've been a big fan of "Ike" for many years & have collected alot of his LP's & often play them at home & enjoy them immensley. Having played the Tom Moulton mix of his killer track "Moonlight lovin' (Menage a trois)" to death for ages imagine my surprise when I came across this gem from 1980...


Clocking in at just over 10 minutes & mixed by legendary NYC Disco mixer & Saint resident Jim Burgess this is truely a monster cut.
Of course Isaac is in his usual smooth mood but the music is frantic, driving & funky & having played this one out myself in clubs numerous times I can tell you ... it's workin'! On the flip is another Burgess mix - "Shaft 2" which upon reading the various DJ's charts in Vince Aletti's Disco bible "The Disco files" (Buy it HERE) seems to have been a big club hit in the Discotheques, although this is a killer track too "I ain't never" wins hands down in my opinion ... a total dancefloor devastator!





"I get high on watching you..."





Isaac Hayes - I ain't never (Jim Burgess mix) by theghettodisco

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY SESAME STREET!

THE greatest kids TV show of our generation?


Today we have some classic Sesame Street clips courtesy of The Pointer Sisters (The Pinball Theme) & the mighty Stevie Wonder (Nice with the Vocoder) :














Sesame Street - this TV show has had so much influence on pop culture it's unbelieveable, as well as that it's a happy reminder of when we were all off school for a day feigning illness so we could catch up with The Count, Big Bird, Cookie Monster & crew as they embarked on yet another alpha-numerical adventure around the show's NYC Brownstone setting. Basically, this street is responsible for some cool shit. Start from the clips posted above where we have The Pointer Sisters funky jam backed with some psychedelic pinball landscapes & Stevie Wonder (who would've been at the height of his fame by this stage & taking time out of a very hectic Motown recording schedule to get down with the kids!) rocking out with full band & vocoder. Then we've got Paradise Garage DJ deity Larry Levan getting his first ever remix job on vinyl in the shape of Cookie Monsters Disco effort "C is for Cookie" (Which was also backed with a Roy Thode mix & later re-edited on the infamous "Black Cock" series by DJ Harvey in the mid 90's. You can also grab the reissue 12" complete with pinball theme re-edit by Strictly Kev & DJ Food HERE), many years later, 1992 to be exact, the UK get's in on the act with it's own "Dance" version of some Sesame Street goodness on the back of "Rave" musics considerable commercial success ... Although i'm sure many folk would be trying quite hard to forget this one and the many other cheesey "kids" themed rave records it inspired! In short, Sesame Street made me the man I am today & the picture at the top of this post isn't just a collection of images showing the cast of the street, it's a collection of friendly, familiar faces who'll always be around. Bring on the next 40 years ...


HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY SESAME STREET!

BEYOND BALEARIC.

How my afternoon sounded yesterday.

READY OR NOT?

Herbie makes it look EASY while Quincy looks on.

HYPNOSIS - END TITLE (BLADERUNNER)

Finally got around to doing some vinyl rips from my record collection.
Those of you who know me know i'm a serious undercover Electro lover & have been for many years (Ever since I first heard Streetsounds "New York beats VS. LA beats" cassette when I was a youngster - still one of the best mixes ever & LA's mix trounces NY's in my opinion) ... so I though i'd kick things off with a personal Electro favourite of mine from the crates - Hypnosis' Vangelis cover version "End title (Bladerunner)".


Everyone is familiar with the classic soundtrack to Ridley Scott's bleak 1982 Sci-fi masterpiece which was originally composed & performed by Vangelis, and over the years the score has been inspiration for sample hungry Hip Hop heads, Motor City Techno futurists, London Drum & Bass pioneers & in this case Italian Electro outfits ...





According to Discogs.com : "Hipnosis (on some records also named Hypnosis) was a successful Italian techno-disco band in the early '80s, born in Parma and founded by Stefano Cundari. It also featured Paul Sears and Ugo Solenghi. At the beginning of the year 1982 Angelo Bergamini from Kirlian Camera joined the band. Cundari had the idea of covering the song "Pulstar" by Vangelis for the label Memory Records. They recorded the song together with Anfrando Maiola from the group Koto. In the ensuing period all of the original members left the project and Bergamini turned down the proposition to stay as a composer and musician of the new line-up and decided to leave the sixty date world tour. At the same time as Hipnosis was developing, Paul Sears officially joined Kirlian Camera's new line-up. In 1987 Cundari released another 7"/12" ("Droid") under the Hipnosis banner. Soon after he passed away. At this point the official Hipnosis-Story ends."


Even with such scant information & really only a clutch of releases to their name Hypnosis' records still get played today & remain musically relevant to DJ's & music lovers around the world who are embracing the whole "Cosmic", "Italo" & "Space" Disco genres & i'm sure played in the right circles these tracks would induce a fierce poppin' & lockin' session too (That one was for all you BBoys out there)!!


I've also included a Youtube clip of Vangelis' original composition :





Below is the full 12" mix in high quality mp3 :





Hypnosis Blade Runner - End Theme by theghettodisco

A WORK OF GENIUS?

Dedicated to Zoe.K!



Watch & learn.

JAMES HILLARD (HORSE MEAT DISCO) - MIX FOR BERLIN RADIO

I'm pleased to host this mix from one of our good friends & favourite DJ's here at The Ghetto Disco HQ - Horse Meat Disco head honcho mr James Hillard.
The mix was originally recorded for broadcast on Berlin radio from the summer & features a top shelf selection of the finest Disco nuggets with some new bits & pieces thrown in, unfortunately we (& he) couldn't remember which station it was on, but it's still hot to trot!!


Those of you familiar with James or the HMD crew will know that these guys are serious about their Disco & all manner of other great music, you only have to check their debut mix album on Strut as well as their killer re-edit 12"s to see that, in short, quality control is high!! James is one of the only DJ's we know who still goes out & "digs in the crates" for those elusive grooves you hear every Sunday at The Eagle here in London (And all over the world!!) so, respect to you sir!!


Here's how the tracklist looks:


1.Edwin Starr - Get up whirlpool.
2.Horse Meat Disco #3 - Iko Iko (Dub).
3.Stargard - Which way is up?.
4.Sparque - Take a little time.
5.Blancmange - The game above my head.
6.Al DiMeola - Sequencer.
7.Methusalem - Robotism.
8.Free life - Dance fantasy.
9.Still going - Spaghetti circus.
10.Vivian Vee - Remember.
11.Switch - Best beat in town.


Big thanx to James for the mix.


To get weekly email updates feat. special parties / news / offers - email James @ Horse Meat Disco: jhillard@btinternet.com





JAMES HILLARD (HORSE MEAT DISCO) - MIX FOR BERLIN RADIO by Bobbyhands

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!)