Canadian Disco Dancer

One of my favorite finds over the past year was V.I.S.A.'s 1980 hard-to-find disco album "San Francisco". Until I found a used copy of this record, I had never heard of this release. That being said, it didn't take me long to get into this four song LP. The record was produced and arranged by legendary disco mastermind Celso Valli, and has his signature sound all over it a la Tantra, Nuggets, Passengers, Macho, etc. Even though this record only consists of four track, the album is solid from start to end including classic cuts like "In San Franciso", "She's Heavy", "Action Tonight", and my personal favorite "I'm A Dancer". Overall, if you love that Canadaian disco sound or are a huge fan of Valli, like me, I highly recommend hunting down a copy of this hard-to-find record.

V.I.S.A. - I'm A Dancer

Cabana Disco Vol.02 Arrives!

Good news! The shipment of 500 copies of Cabana Disco vol.02 arrived a few days ago and will be shipped off to my distributor, All Ears, this evening. YOu should start to see this record show up in stores by the end of next week (if not sooner). You can already pre-order a copy from Piccadilly Records. I'm very excited to get this record out, I hope all of you will enjoy it!

By the way, I've already started work on Cabana Disco vol.03, which will include an edit of John Ozila's "Funky Boogie". That record will most likely be released sometime this summer!

Groovin' to The Players Association

A song I found listening to more than once this weekend was The Players Association's 1977 disco cut "I Like It". For those that may not know, The Players Association was a disco project produced by Danny Weiss made up by some amazing studio jazz musicians. Some of the group's most notable material consists of disco covers like The Trammps' "Disco Inferno", Diana Ross's "Love Hangover", and Chic's "Everybody Dance". some of the other standout material was written by multi-instrumentalist Chris Hills who helped write "I Like It". I think this was one of the best groups during the late 1970's to successfully mix disco grooves with complex jazz arrangements. A solid disco project that tends to unfortunitely go a bit under the radar.

The Players Association - I Like It

Do The Booga Loo

This 1967 tropical boogaloo gem "Calypso Blues" from Willie Rosario might be far from being 'disco', however it's a personal favorite track of mine that continues to grow on me each and everyday. That being said, I do think the track has the potential to make it's way into a great disco mix as the unusual, however effective, oddball track that every single disco mix seems to have these days. And even though it's not disco, it's definitely funky, making it a nice seasonal track as the weather starts to warm-up. Enjoy!

Willie Rosario - Calypso Blues

Disco Along The Rio

A record that has really grown on me over the past few weeks is Gary Criss's 1978 tropical disco-flavoured album Rio De Janeiro. This record which was arranged by disco's well-seasoned veteran John Davis and notable producer Billy Terrell features some solid disco cuts including Rio De Janeiro, Brazilian Nights, and Amazom Queen that fall a bit along the "tropical" side. This record was released on both Salsoul Records and the French label Carrere. As the spring weather here in the Pacific Northwest continues to be colder and more wet than I would like, tropical disco delights like Gary Criss's Rio De Janeiro is exactly what I need. Speaking of warm destinations, I would do just about anything right now to be where ever Gary Criss is on this album cover. Enjoy!

Gary Criss - Rio De Janeiro
Gary Criss - Amazom Queen

The Sensual Sounds of Spring Rain

This weekend I went to a local record show and walked away with some solid disco finds, which I will continue to share here in the coming weeks ahead. One of those solid finds was Silvetti's classic 1977 disco album "Spring Rain". This is one of those records that I have been meaning to purchase for quite sometime however never came across. That being said, the wait was worth it because I picked-up a used copy for a cheap price of four dollars. This record, which consists of Bebu Silvetti's best work, includes the classic disco gem "Spring Rain", as well as other solid album cuts like "Primitive Man", and "Voyage Of No Return". The record was released off of Salsoul Records and given the proper mixing treatment from Tom Moulton (whom else?). Regardless, I can finally cross this classic disco record off my forever growing and never-ending wishlist.

Silvetti - Spring Rain
Silvetti - Primitive Man

Disco All Over the 'Wordle'

With just about everyone talking about "Wordle" today, I thought I would join in on the 'time-killing' fun and do one for this blog. For those that haven't heard of Wordle, I recommend checking it out at least once. Wordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends. ENJOY!

American Athlete Blog's Wordle Image

Kongas' Anikana-O

I'm going to take the liberty today to post one of my all-time favorite tracks in Kongas' 1978 version of "Anikana-O". This extended version of the song was featured as the leading track on the Anikana-O LP. An earlier and shorter version of the song first showed up on the first Kongas LP back in 1974. However with the help of Tom Moulton, who mixed the track, and Alec R. Costandinos, who helped re-write the later version, "Anikana-O" became a disco gem, as well as one of the group's most notable cuts. The song has an overall latin-flavoured groove to it that works nicely alongside the gritty vocals. Regardless, it's an amazing song and one of the many solid productions from a group that features some of disco's most legendary players (Cerrone, Don Ray, Alec R. Costandinos, etc.).

Kongas - Anikana-O

NOTE: The image is from the 1974 7" version of "Anikana-O", and not the 1978 LP. I choose this photo instead, because I thought it was a bit more interesting.

Cosmic Love Pirate

With Space Truckin' records recently releasing the excellent third twelve-inch in their Galactic Haulage Edits Series, I thought I would post the 1977 original version of Dogs of War's sleazy cosmic gem "Love Pirate". Dogs of War were a Canadian band that nicely blended together gritty 70's rock and cosmic flavoured disco. Their 1977 self-titled LP, which features "Love Pirate", is a cosmic masterpiece with solid cuts like "Future Jungle", "Space Conqueror" "Intergalactic Tactic" among others. The Galactic Haulage Edits pt.3 features a nice re-edit of "Love Pirate", re-ranging the song to make it a bit more dancefloor friendly. Regardless of which route you prefer regarding the re-edit or the original, it's safe to say that Dogs of War successfully produced a unique cosmic sound that makes songs like "Love Pirate" an instant gem.

Dogs of War - Love Pirate

Pat Les Stache @ Capitol Club Tonight!

Come out Tonight to the Capitol Club (414 East Pine), as I (Pat Les Stache) spin rare disco, italo, cosmic, and mustache grooves for your listening enjoyment. Come out early, as I'll be deejaying from 11:00 to 12:30pm.

See You There!

Disco Connection

For those that enjoy instrumental disco music, I recommend checking out Disconnection's 1977 self-titled album released off of Prelude records. This record was written and produced by Robert Holmes and consists of some funky instrumental disco gems including "Dead On The Case", "Cash Money", and "Bay City", which was more recently re-edited by Lexx and released last year on twelve-inch by Big Bear. So if your looking for a solid instrumental disco release, this record should be right up your alley. Enjoy!

Disconnection - Dead on the Case
Disconnection - Bay City
Disconnection - Bay City (Lexx Re-edit)

Mid-Eastern Disco

Rubber Room just recently released one of the year's most interesting disco edits in "Taliban Discotheque", which happens to be a re-edit of Aït Meslayene's funky 1976 gem "El Fen". The original song was released as the B-side track to Meslayene's hard-to-find twelve-inch single Yémma and has a bit of a cosmic mid-eastern groove that becomes rather addicting over time. There's not huge differences between the re-edit and the original, however the Disco Devil crew was able to beef the song up a bit with a thicker bass and drum groove. That being said, the edit does just enough to make this already very unique and addicting disco gem that much better. Plus, the re-edit release makes it a lot easier, as well as a much cheaper route in obtaining a version of the song. Here is the 1976 'nearly impossible-to-find' original.

Aït Meslayene - El Fen
GO BUY THE RUBBER ROOM RE-EDIT 12"

Hot to Trot

Alfredo De La Fé's funky 1979 classic "Hot to Trot" is a track that I happy to stumble across for the first time this last summer while visiting London. This Latin flavoured cut, which focuses heavily on the percussion and string arrangements, was originally featured on De La Fé's album Alfredo. Understanding the song starts with understanding the artist himself. De La Fé is a Cuban born violinist, whom now resides in New York. He lived for more than 16 years in Columbia, learning to master the violin, while being heavily influenced by Salsa and Latin music. All these influences, along with disco, are very apparent in this amazing and funky classic that can just about get any dancefloor moving.

Alfredo De La Fé - Hot to Trot

A New York Nugget

A classic Celso Valli produced track that I've really been into as of late, is Nuggets' 1979 disco gem "New York". I was fortunate to find a twelve-inch promo version of the track this past year. This funky track, is one of my all-time favorite Valli-produced songs, reminding me a bit of the later Macho material. The individual songs on this record kind of just cut off (I apologize), as the whole record tends to just run right together into one long mix. Regardless, it's just another amazing disco classic produced by a true legend in Celso Valli. ENJOY!

Nuggets - New York



SPEAKING OF NEW YORK:

I will be in New York from June 5th to June 9th, and would to love deejay somewhere if there's any openings. Fill free to email me if you want to book me or let me know of any great 'disco nights' that will be happening. Thanks, I really appreciate it.

Peek-a-Boo Boogie

One of the best records of last year, in my opinion, was Lee Douglas's re-edit twelve-inch The Douglas Sound EP off of Blackdisco records. This record consisted of three superb edits including The Freedom Machine's "Jangada", Asha Puthli's "Peek-a-Boo Boogie", and Fuego's "Misa Criolia (We Are The Children)". I don't want to single out one track, because all deserve worthy praise, however that being said, Douglas' edit of Asha Puthli's 1979 "Peek-a-Boo Boogie" (origanlly on her 1979 album 1001 Nights of Love"), re-titled "Hide'n Seek", continues to be one of my favorite disco re-edits of all-time. The amazing edit tends to touch me the same way that Alicia Bridges' "I Love The Nightlife" does at the end of a long exhausting evening. I find that it's that perfect cut that can work nicely as background music at a low-key bar night or on the dancefloor of a nightclub. Regardless, Lee Douglas continues to amaze with growing collection of great disco edits.

Asha Puthli - Peek-a-Boo Boogie (Lee Douglas Re-edit)

Cabana Disco Vol.02 UPDATE!

Just a quick update to Cabana Disco Vol.02 twelve-inch:

I just got the test pressing in the mail today. The record sounds great and should be finished being pressed in about two to three weeks and sent off to my distributor All Ears. Look for the second Cabana Disco record to start showing up in stores sometime in mid to late April.

Pat Les Stache - Cabana Disco Vol.02 12"
Edits Include:
-----------------------------------------
A1)John Davis & Monster Orchestra - Ain't that Enough For You
A2)Shitan - Disco Shitan
B1)Nightlife Unlimited - The Love Is In You
B2)The Michael Zager Band - Soul to Soul

Dusty Disco Gem

With London's Erol Alkan, under the alaise of Disco 3000, releasing this week a new twelve-inch record featuring a solid re-edit of Dusty Springfield's "That's the Kind of Love I've Got For You", I was inspired to post the 1978 original. Now, I know that when you think of "Dusty Springfield", you probably don't think of "disco", which definitely makes sense. However, in 1978 on her album It Begins Again...., she included the funky Tom Moulton mixed gem which helped her briefly attract a whole different audience. The an extended version was later released as a single, which can be hard-to-find. After listening to this cut, you might wonder why Ms. Springfield didn't write more disco tracks. Enjoy!

Dusty Springfield - That's the Kind of Love I've Got For You

BUY Erol Alkan's new Disco 3000 12"

Can You Feel The Real Thing

Recently I came across The Real Thing's 1978 disco classic "Can You Feel The Force" with much delight. I guess this song is well known among many disco lover's, however for myself, this was the first time I had been exposed to the funky gem. This track was included on the group's 1978 album, also entitled, Can You Feel The Force. The record was produced by Ken Gold and has a 'early boogie' feel to it, dominated by a lot of solid funky instrumentation. "Can You Feel The Force" is another one of those disco cuts that tend to grow on you with each and every listen. For me, there's nothing much better than being exposed to unfamiliar disco gems, making this encounter quite a treat.

The Real Thing - Can You Feel The Force

Undercover Lover

Debbie Jacobs'1979 album Undercover Lover, which I had the pleasure of purchasing this past year, contains some solid disco gems. After having sometime to completely absorb the record over the past few months, I have found myself really getting into album cuts like "Hot Hot (Give It All You Got)", "Undercover Lover", and my personal favorite, "Don't You Want My Love". The record was produced and arranged by Paul Sabu, who also helped produced Sister Power's amazing 1979 self-titled LP, as well as his 1979 solo record Sabu. Overall, Jacobs' Undercover Lover is a great record that can probably be hunt down for a relatively cheap price. That being said, in these economic times, this might be just the kind of disco record that fits nicely in your shrinking budget. Enjoy!

Debbie Jacobs - Don't You Want My Love

Disco Congo Dance

Here is an upbeat 'tropical disco' gem by King Errison titled "Disco Congo". This disco influenced afro-jazz cut was released in 1977 on Mr. Errison's L.A. Bound LP which was produced by the funky tag team of Mike Theodore and Dennis Coffey, as well as mixed by Tom Moulton. As you might imagine, this track features some of the funkiest disco-flavoured conga chops you could ever want. That being said, however, I don't think the track will appeal to all disco lover's, with certain portions of the song getting lost in some traditionally rooted Caribbean instrumentation. However, this funky gem should be received fairly well from those that enjoy that warmer 'tropical-disco' sound, that I personally enjoy so much. Hope you enjoy!

King Errison - Disco Congo

...Ain't How You Put It In, It's How It Feels

Here is a funky gem from 1977 entitled "Double Funkin' by Lalomie Washburn. This funky cut was released on Washburn's 1977 album My Music Is Hot. I heard this album fro this first time recently, I was definitely struck by this track which is way too funky to not love. Plus you got to love the pink fro-like hair do. Enjoy!

Lalomie Washburn - Double Funkin'

The Harlem Shuffle

I've been a pretty big fan of Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder's collaborative work for quite sometime. This production team, better known as Rinder & Lewis, not only were some of disco music's greatest producers, they were some of the most active, releasing many amazing records under many different aliases which included El Coco, Discognosis, Le Pamplemousse, Saint Tropez, and Tuxedo Junction among others. That being said, some of their best material came under the more straight forward Rinder & Lewis title (i.e. 1978's Seven Deadly Sins). One of these classic records would include the 1980 release of Warriors. This five-song record is pretty much brilliant from start to finish with solid cuts like "Willie And The Hand Jive", "Arabella/Home", "Love Potion #9", "Blue Steel", and one of my personal favorites in "Harlem Shuffle". Basically, if you don't own this album, go buy it as soon as you can. Truly a disco masterpiece!

Rinder & Lewis - Harlem Shuffle

The Deputy of Love

I don't have a lot of time to 'blog' today, so I'll keep it short and sweet. Here is a disco classic, entitled "Deputy of Love" from Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band. This song was featured on the group's 1979 self-titled LP, which in my opinion, is one of August Darnell's finest productions. That being said, he definitely has had many throughout his brilliant career. Enjoy!

Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band - Deputy of Love

Catch Me Tiger

This past year, one of the many groups that I got into for the first time was Arabesque. I was orginally blown away by the group's early singles during the late 1970's, which included classics like "Friday Night", "In The Heat Of A Disco Night", "Hello Mr. Monkey" etc. After re-reading some of the comments from previous posts, I find that most people on this blog either hate them or love them. With that being said, I think I found a song, "Catch Me Tiger", that I would challenge even the most critical readers to dislike. Like all of this group's good songs, "Catch Me Tiger" was one of their earliest releases and remains very hard-to-find on vinyl. Overall, I think it's a pretty amazing track from a group that I find to be a bit of a hit-and-miss when it comes to quality songs. Enjoy!

Arabesque - Catch Me Tiger

Some Heavy Tambourine Shaking

Here is a solid disco re-edit by Ashley Beedle of Inner City Express's 1978 version of "Dance And Shake Your Tambourine". This edit was released last year as a twelve-inch single by the Disco Deviance label, which continues to release quality re-edits. Up until this edit was released, I didn't realize that another disco group besides The Universal Robot Band did a rendition of "Dance And Shake Your Tambourine". That being said, I really enjoy this edit which includes some nice percussion work. Hope you enjoy as well.

Inner City Express - Dance And Shake Your Tambourine
(Ashley Beedle Re-Edit)

The Streisand - Siano Connection

I was inspired today to post this extended version of Barbra Streisand's 1975 disco hit "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" after I read yesterday an excerpt from Tim Lawrence's book Love Saves The Day, that Nicky Siano's became so influential regarding record sales during the mid 1970's that Barbra Streisand, herself, once sent Siano a letter thanking him for playing the more dance-oriented track often at The Gallery. The original, shorter version, of "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" was featured on Streisand's Lazy Afternoon album, which represented one of the singer's earliest explorations into the disco dance scene. Later on, of course, she successfully teamed up with Donna Summers in a collaboration effort in releasing the disco classic "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" in 1979. My good friend H.M.A. actually introduced me to the track a while back, and the song was often included in many of his Studio! mixes. It's kind of interesting and amusing to know that Nicky Siano had a role in furthering, an artist like Barbra Streisand's musical career.

Barbra Streisand - Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)

French Disco Heat

This past year, I found a very cheap ($2) used copy of Black Sun's 1978 disco release Disco Heat. At the time, I didn't know much about the record, however for the price, I thought I would buy it and see if the two song album would grow on me. Now that some time has gone by and I've been able to completely absorb the record, I'm finding that I enjoy the record more and more with each and every listen. The record, which is produced by Wally Hamilton, consists of two extended disco tracks entitled "Black Sun" and "Big Money" that have very 'French disco' feel similiar to Alec R. Costandinos' known disco project Love & Kisses. Both songs are solid, with my personal favorite being the B-side track "Big Money". In an era, where the fifteen-minute disco track became very common, Black Sun produced two of the more solid and focused extended disco cuts of it's genre.

Black Sun - Big Money

NOTE: On a local note, for those that live in Seattle, I believe there is another copy of this record at Jivetime's Freemont store.

The Cosmic Sprint

In 1984, cosmic disco king Daniele Baldelli and Cosmic Club protégé Claudio Tosi Brandi (aka T.B.C.), along with Sangy (Maurizio Sangineto) and a number of featured musicians produced Cosmic, a cosmic-themed post disco album. The record which includes tracks like "Cosmic Serenade", "Cosmic Macumba", "Cosmic Break", and my personal favorite "Cosmic Sprint" (...you get the idea) does a nice job blending disco, funky jazz fusion, early electro funk, and italo to create, at the time, a unique cosmic sound that was well before it's time. The music kind of reminds me of what Arthur Russell's more uptempo tracks on the Calling Out of Context record. Overall, the album is a classic time piece that helps capture the transition from late 70's era disco to the funky cosmic sounds of the early eighties that clubs like Cosmic became famous for. ENJOY!

Daniele Baldelli & T.B.C. - Cosmic Sprint