A Cabana Kabbooga Loo

With the test pressing of Cabana Disco Vol.03 arriving in the mail earlier this week, I'm getting very excited about the record's upcoming early September release. As I've mentioned before, this twelve-inch will feature re-edits of D-R-U-M's "Lalabye", John Ozila's "Funky Boogie", and the edit that I'm featuring today, Kabbala's 1982 funky "Ashewo Ara" (re-titled "Kabbooga Loo. The third addition to the Cabana Disco Series definitely reflects, like the blog, my recent obsession for African-flavoured disco and I think the record consists three edits that compliment each other very nicely. I look forward to hearing everyone's feedback. I'll keep everyone posted on the exact release date in the coming weeks. Enjoy!

Kabbala - Ashewo Ara (Pat Les Stache Re-edit)

The Sound Of The Lagos Dancefloor

Over the past couple of years, there have been some great compilations released that have focused around African and Nigerian music during the seventies. My personal favorite of the many compilations has to be Soundway records' release of Nigeria Disco Funk Special: The Sound Of The Underground Lagos Dancefloor 1974-79. From the moment I listened to the record I was hooked. Including standout cuts like T-Fire's "Will Of The People", S-Job Movement's "Love Affair", The Sahara All Stars's "Take Your Soul", Jay-U Experience's "Some More" and many more, the double vinyl album consists of some of the rarest and funkiest Nigerian music I have heard to date. If your into some of these tracks, I also highly recommend checking out the other Nigeria Special compilations from Soundway. It's always nice to see how disco made it's way into other countries, coultures, and vice versa. Enjoy!

S-Job Movement - Love Affair

Heaven in the Afternoon

Let's just say that it's hot here in Seattle. So hot it's hard to think straight. Today we went over the century mark which is very unusual for this city. The worst part is that there isn't any AC in any of the buildings because generally there isn't a need for it. Therefore I'm going to keep this post short and sweet so that I can go back to figuring out how to cool my apartment down. Here is the recently re-issued 1978 Lew Kirton single "Heaven in the Afternoon". This song has a bit of a Northern Soul feel to it however crossing over nicely to the disco dancefloor. This is one of those tracks that continue to grow on me with each and every listen. If you can't hunt down the original on T.K. Disco, I highly recommend purchasing the re-issue on Soul Spectrum. Now back to sticking my head in the freezer.

Lew Kirton - Heaven in the Afternoon

I Hear Music In The Streets

Summer is in full swing here in Seattle with temperatures averaging in the low to mid 90's. Being from California, you definitely won't hear any complaints from me. That being said I thought I would post an appropriate disco classic in Unlimited Touch's "I Hear Music In The Streets" for all those rooftop parties and barbeques. This feel-good boogie flavored cut was originally released as a twelve-inch single in 1980 and was later included on the group's 1981 self-titled album. This track has a bit of a groove that reminds me of those early 80's P & P Records releases. Regardless, it's a funky classic that fits right in with those warm summertime gatherings. Enjoy the heat!

Unlimited Touch - I Hear Music In The Streets

Ray Mangled Disco

Ray Mang over the years has made a name for himself with his numerous "Mangled" disco re-edit releases and has been a personal favorite of mine for quite sometime. This year he is back at it again with the CD release of Mangled Again, which consists of a mixture between previously released re-edits that mostly were released during 2008, as well as some newer edits that have yet to be released on vinyl. From the looks of things, it seems like most of these re-edits that haven't been released on vinyl, will get an upcoming twelve-inch release in 2009. On this re-edit compilation album, there are many favorites to choose from, however his 2008 re-edit of Theo Vaness's 1979 "I'm A Bad Bad Boy" continues to be one of my personal favorites. Maybe it's because I'm a huge Vaness fan, or Mang did an excellent job at adding new life to a true disco classic. Regardless of the reason, I find myself listening to the track, as well as playing the record out, on numerous occassions. That being said, "Bad Boy", is just one of the many great re-edits on this album, so I highly recommend not only purchasing a copy of the CD, but more importantly, go out and collect all the twelve-inch singles as well. These are definitely some re-edits that you don't want to sleep on.

Theo Vaness - I'm A Bad Bad Boy (Ray Mang Re-edit)

Play Me, Love Me

It's Friday, so let's end the week with a sexy disco gem from Jo Bisso entitled "Play Me". This sixteen minute-plus funky erotic track is featured on Bisso's 1978 album Mademoiselle. The song is broken in four continous parts, each with a different sub-title which include Part 1: Desires , Part 2: I Wanna Love , Part 3: You Are Loving Me , and Part 4: Burning. I usually find with most disco medley's that there are some sections I am always happy to skip, however I find that "Play Me" is good from start to finish, burning all the fat that could have existed. Regardless, the song is definitely one of my favorites by Bisso, who has released some amazing disco songs throught the late seventies. Enjoy your weekend!

Jo Bisso - Play Me (Part 1, 2, 3 & 4)

Delicate and Funky

Sometimes, as I'm sure you've noticed, I like to step away from "pure" disco tracks(if there are any), and highlight other funky music and crossover cuts of the late seventies that didn't neccessarily fall into the "disco" category, but was very influential. Today is going to be another one of those times. That being said, a group that was a lot more latin and a lot less disco was the Fania All-Stars. I don't want to really get into the groups entire and accomplished history or highlight all the amazing members (which they definitely do have) that made-up the distinguished musical group, however I want to share a track that I've really been enjoying lately in their 1976 track "Picadillo" from the groups album Delicate And Jumpy. This version of the group featured some noteable musicians including Ray Barretto, Bobby Valentin, Papo Lucca and many many others. Overall the track has a funky laid back latin groove that I think would work well in the middle or even the "cool-down" of a disco set. A track that can really help change-up the groove slightly without losing people on the dancefloor. Regardless, being a Fania All-Stars fan like myself, the songs funky grooves has me playing this track on repeat as of late. Hopefully you'll enjoy it just as much as I do.

Fania All-Stars - Picadillo

Aimer D'Amour

I recently heard Boule Noire's late 70's disco gem "Aimer D'Amour" for the first time and pretty much fell in love with it immediately. The song, which was written by Albert Hammond and Leo Sayer, has very funky laid-back "tropical-flavoured" groove and, as the title suggests, is sung in French by the man behind Boule Noire, Quebec native Georges Thurston. The song has been recently re-issued by the Canadian label Unidisc and I highly recommend picking up copy if you haven't been able to hunt down the original. Enjoy!

Boule Noire - Aimer D'Amour

Don't Stop Now

Well it was a long weekend to say the least, spending most of my time taking care of my dog Nacho. That being said, he's doing a lot better by the way, so hopefully the worst for now is over. Thanks again for all the kind words and wishes. I was able to sneak out for a short bit to my favorite local record store Jive Time and pick up a couple of goodies. One of those goodies was The Brothers 1976 disco album "Don't Stop Now". I've been hearing good things about this record for quite sometime, however had yet to dive into it myself. I must say the critics were right, from start to finish this funky album, which was produced by Warren Schatz, is solid. The album consists of some amazing instrumental breaks and grooves that shake just about any dancefloor. There are many standout cuts on the record, however I would say that my current favorite is probably the A-side track "Under The Skin". I literally had to stop what I was doing, and take notice when this song got to about half way mark. Overall it was a nice find on a long day. I kind of felt like the "Disco Gods" were rewarding me for spending the weekend taking care of my dog. If so, they definitely rewarded me well. Enjoy!

The Brothers - Under The Skin

Space Fortress

I was excited to see the DFA/Solar Disco release of Altair Nouveau's new twelve-inch single Space Fortress. As many might know, Altair Nouveau, aka Brandon Mitchell, used to be a regular guest deejay at Studio! back when he use to reside in Seattle. After he got me a copy of his self-titled CD, I knew with one listen that it was only a short amount of time before a label like Solardisco or DFA signed him. As I have mention before on this site (see Cosmic Northwest Disco), if your into the more cosmic side of disco and electronic music (ie. Lindstrom, Diskjokke, Peter Visti, Blackbelt Andersen), this is a twelve-inch you must own.

Now Go Buy the Record:
Altair Nouveau - Space Fortress 12" (DFA)
Altair Nouveau - Space Fortress 12" (Solardisco)(incl. Remixes)

Dark Rerub Boogie

Well, it's been a long week to say the least. Therefore let's end it on a high note with one of my favorite edits from the superb Mindless Boogie label in Rubber Room re-edit of French rock band Noir Désir's 2001 song "Le Vent Nous Portera". At first, you might think "French rock band from the 90's and early 2000's", how could this be "disco". Well, with one listen you'll notice how funky the laid-back edit, by Ferre Hindryckx and Wiebe Loccufier, whom make-up Rubber Room, really is. With that being said, the Rubber Room tag-team seems to always produce great results and this twelve-inch single is no different. I highly recommend grabbing this very unique, yet funky, re-edit record. Have a great weekend!

Noir Désir - Le Vent Nous Portera (Rubber Room Rerub)

Tropical Trini-Vibes

As of late, I've been really getting into this Tony Silvester produced tropical disco group Kaylan. I picked up used copies of both their self-titled album and their 1977 follow-up LP "Trini-Vibes" this summer. Like the album cover and song titles suggest, this group blends together disco, reggae, soca, soul, and both traditional Carribean and African flavoured grooves to produce a very "tropical disco" sound, perfect for the current warm summertime days. Both records are very good and highly recommended. Look for me to post something from the self-titled record in the near future. Until then, enjoy the "Trini-Vibes"!

Kaylan - Trini-Vibes

The Disco Beat

Another long and exhausting day. Thanks to everyone who sent their kind words my way, I really appreciate it. Nacho is back at home, however very tired and "out-of-it" due to all the prescription drugs and surgery. As far as today's posts goes, I'm going to keep it short, as I've already mentioned already, it's been an exhausting day for both Nacho and I. It should be "somewhat" back to normal starting tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed), and should be definitely in full swing again next week. Thanks again for all the support I've received.

This evening I thought I would feature a track I've been meaning to post for quite sometime in J.D.V. And Friends' 1977 funky gem "Disco Beat". This French instrumental disco cut was produced and conducted by Jerry De Villier, which is obviously where the "J.D.V." came from. The song was originally featured on the group's album Disco De Villiers and was more recently featured on the excellent Al Kent compiled compilation Disco Demands Volume One. Regardless of the way , a great French instrumental disco track that definitely, as the title suggests, drops the "disco beat". Enjoy!

J.D.V. and Friends - Disco Beat

A Day With My Dog, Nacho

Sorry about not getting a post up today. I've been taking care of my dog "Nacho", who was sick and needed surgery today, which by the way, is pretty much bankrupting me. That being said if there is anything I love more than disco music and records, besides obviously my wife, it's my dog. Good news is he's going to be alright, however it will be nice to get him back home from the dog hospital. Anyways, I'm sure the dog lovers out there will definitely understand where I'm coming from.

...And for those that need a little something to get them through the night, here is Sweet Potato's late 70's disco percussion explosion and Loft classic in "Hot Disco Night". Hopefully tomorrow will be back to "somewhat" normal, however no promises...

Sweet Potato - Hot Disco Night

Soft Chocolate Love

Over the past few years, Soft Rocks have been releasing some solid disco re-edit records, with their most recent being the Chocolate Love EP 2. Even though there are definitely many great edits of theirs to choose from, my personal favorite is probably their 2006 re-edit of Margaret Cowie's rare version of the popular D.C. LaRue disco classic "Cathedrals". The has an overall "French-lounge-disco" feel to it, much like something from Dr. Buzzard's Original Savanna Band. Overall, another solid re-edit by the Soft Rocks crew, whom always seem to hunt down some of the rariest songs to manipulate. Enjoy!

Soft Rocks - Cathedrals

Steve Dahl Sucks

I was watching Television tonight, and ESPN was paying tribute to the infamous and in my opinion, lame "Disco Demolition Night" that took place before the second baseball game of a Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers double-header back on this date in 1979. The theme-night, that was focused around blowing up thousands of disco records in the middle of the baseball field, was put on by Chicago deejay Steve Dahl of album-oriented rock station WLUP.

So here on this blog that dedicates itself to disco music, I want to pay an anti-tribute to Steve Dahl and the "Disco Demolition Night". I heard that the only reason he wanted to do that themed-night is because his former radio station fired him because they wanted to change into an all disco radio-station (sounds good to me). Regardless, I think it's safe to say after looking back, disco music will forever be enjoyed and loved by many for years to come. It will continue to influence musicians, producers, deejays, and dance clubs for the remainder of time. I can't say that anything that Steve Dahl has done, outside of this tragically themed-night, will ever be remembered or held to be influential. All I can think of is, how many great records must have been destroyed that night because an ousted deejay wanting to make ridiculous spectacle. So to that, I have to say "Steve Dahl Sucks".

Finally, I have to say that I've noticed throughout the years, how many blogs have popped up that pay tribute to disco, I wonder how many blogs or websites there are out there that pay tribute to Steve Dahl...

Shanks Mare Honey

I haven't posted anything "italo-esque" in a while, so here's Dance Reaction’s 1982 twelve-inch single “Shanks Mare Honey”. The hard-to-find twelve-inch single remains to be one of my most coveted records. The song was written by Dance Reaction members Andy Free and Jean Kesteman, while being produced by Frank Sauter. I find that the group is more known for their 1981 italo classic “Disco Train”, which was more recently featured on Morgan Geist’s excellent “Unclassics” compilation. Between the two, it’s hard to say which I enjoy more with both songs possessing their own unique sound. Overall, a true italo disco classic. Enjoy your weekend!

Dance Reaction - Shanks Mare Honey

Taster's Choice - TONIGHT!

This Friday, July 10th me (Pat Les Stache) and DJ Edis will be sharing the decks at the Capitol Club for another rendition of Taster's Choice: Stache Version. Edis and I will be spinning rare Disco gems, 70's Latin hustle, and funky Afro grooves. This event only happens once a month, and it's a guarantee you won't hear these classic gems anywhere else in town. So don't miss out on this exciting WEEKEND night of disco delights, drinking, and of course dancin'!

Taster's Choice: Stache Version
Friday, July 10th
w/ Pat Les Stache
+ Special Guest DJ Edis
Capitol Club
414 E. Pine St Seattle, WA
10pm - 2am No Cover!

The Monster Strikes Again

When I was in California a couple weeks back, I found a used copy of John Davis & The Monster Orchestra's 1979 album The Monster Strikes Again. This was recorded I'd been looking to find for quite sometime. The record contains some of my favorite John Davis cuts including "Love Magic", "Baby I'Ve Got It", and his version of Ashford & Simpsons' "Bourgie', Bourgie'". Overall, it was a nice find and a solid addition to my ever-growing collection of John Davis produced records.

John Davis & The Monster Orchestra - Love Magic

Remaking Arthur

A couple of weeks ago I was listening to Arthur Russell's Calling Out of Context album for the first time in awhile. As I was listening to the record, I was reminded of how much I really enjoy this timeless album. One of my favorite tracks has always been the short but funky "Make 1, 2" cut, which has always reminded me of something off of Herbie Hancock's "Future Shock" album. With that being said, I always felt like it was a bit too short, being under just three minutes. I decided to take a stab at this track and try extending it out a little bit. I didn't want to mess with the overall feel and structure of the original song too much, just hoping to build on the already amazing song by adding an extended intro, outro, and a few breaks here and there. Overall, I'm happy with how it came out, even as suddle as the edits might seem. This is the first attempt at editing an Arthur Russell producted track, and probably not the last. Hopefully you enjoy the extended edit as much as I do. ENJOY!

Arthur Russell - Make 1, 2 (Pat Les Stache Edit)

Today, The World Pays Tribute

I must admit that I watched most of the emotional Michael Jackson memorial service, which I must say was pulled off very well. There were definitely some moments that I shed a tear or two. So I originally wasn't planning on doing another MJ post, however after watching that beautiful memorial service, nothing else seemed fitting or apropriate. With that being said, here is Tangoterje's (aka Todd Terje) superb edit of Jackson's 1979 Off The Wall album cut "I Can't Help It". Today Michael, the world pays tribute to you.

Michael Jackson - I Can't Help It (Tangoterje Edit)

Africano Disco

Over the past year, Fat Camp's new re-edit label Anorak has been releasing some quality re-edits. The third volume of the series opens up with "Afro Disco", which is an edit of Timmy Thomas's 1977 funky disco gem "Africano" from the album Touch To Touch. Fat Camp's edit of the track, which deserves it's own praise, reminded me of how much I love the track in general. Like the song title suggest, this song has a heavy African influenced groove which focuses a bit more on the background vocal chants and the funky instrumentation rather than any lead vocals that usually surround Thomas's other material. Regardless, I highly recommend picking up both Fat Camp's excellent edit on Anorak as well as the 1977 original. You can never quite get enough "Africano" in my opinion.

Timmy Thomas - Africano

Have a Happy 4th!

Enjoy the BBQ, the Cheap Beer, and the Butter...America, this is for you!

I Am The Disco Machine

For me, it's a three-day weekend because of the 4th of July holiday. Therefore I'm going to spend much of my time outdoors, which is what all of you should be doing on this warm weekend. However for those that need some funky grooves to get you in the mood, here is Black Jack's 1979 disco cut "I Am The Disco Machine". This track is featured on the groups full-length record "Hot Passion". Speaking of the group's full-length album, there are definitely some great songs included on that record including the title track "Hot Passion" and the Supermax-esque cut "Jungle Man Jive". Now with that being said, I must admit that on both "Hot Passion" and "I Am The Disco Machine", I definitely feel that the choruses slightly drag down the song a bit. I just feel that they are a bit too cheesy in my opinion and take the focus off the rest of the songs' funky groove. After listening to the track, I expect many will agree with me on this one. However I don't let a few short excerpts in a song completely ruin it for me, especially with these songs which, other than their choruses, are solid cuts. Anyways, I hope it's just enough to get your holiday weekend started off right!

Black Jack - I Am The Disco Machine

Pleasure of the Ghana Disco Beat

I've shared a few tracks from Ghana native Sidiku Buari, aka Buari a few times before on this blog, mostly highlighting his music from his 1977 album Disco Soccer. However before that, Buari released a self-titled album two years earlier in 1975. Much like Disco Soccer, the record successfully blended together heavy African rhythms with funky disco grooves. The difference between the two records is probably the balance between the two music genres. On the 1977 Disco Soccer album, when disco was at it's height, the record was a bit more on the dancefloor/ disco side, while Buari's 1975 debut album touched upon more of a tradional African feel. That being said, both records are absolute gems and worthing of any disco party or dancefloor. To prove this, here is the song "Karam Bani" off Buari's self-titled record.

Buari - Karam Bani