Imperial Tiger Music

There has been a lot of great new releases coming out this spring. One of the records that I just purchased and am very excited about comes from a newer group called the Imperial Tiger Orchestra. This Switzerland based group just released their debut twelve-inch single Addis Abeba off of Mentalgroove Records. On this new record, the seven-piece Swedish band nicely blends together funky Ethio jazz alongside some heavy Afrobeat grooves. The record combines some live recordings of re-worked classics including Mulatu Astatke's "Emnete" and Mahmoud Ahmed's "Etu Gela", as well as a traditional Ethio jazz song in "Bati>" and a studio version of Muluqen Melesse's "Djemeregne". Overall, the record is a very solid debut as it produces a new modern take on some of Ethio jazz's most influential and traditional songs. As time goes on, I look forward to hearing more from this very talented group of musicians. Until then, I will be certainly enjoying Addis Abeba.

Imperial Tiger Orchestra - Emnete (Live @ Addis Abeba)

Les Stache in Paris

The summer is fast approaching and I'm very excited as I love warm weather, rooftop bbq parties, and of course baseball. Another reason I'm excited is that this summer, as I noted in my last post, I will be making my second visit to one of my favorite cities in all of the world in Paris, France. My trip will be from July 12th through the 19th. I plan on spending my time enjoying the beautiful sites, staying out late drinking too much, and of course hitting up all the record shops that I possibly can. Another thing I would like to do while I'm there is deejay a few nights. As of now, I have nothing booked and would like to start getting some dates confirmed. Therefore if you live in Paris and you would like to have me come deejay your party, please email me at dwr_media@yahoo.com. Two years ago was my first visit to Paris and I deejayed a couple of parties and had an amazing time. I'm looking forward to making this trip even better as I hope to feel a little more familiar with the beautiful city. As soon as I get some dates together I will surely announce them on this site, so stay tune!

Go Away Little Girl

For today's featured track, Easy Going's "Go Away Little Girl", I first have to give credit to my former deejay partner Terry, aka H.M.A., for first introducing me to the track back when we used to put on Studio in Seattle. From the moment he dropped the twelve-inch single I became hooked and immediately went looking for a used copy of the same single. Unfortunately I quickly learned that the 1982 single was one of the group's most hard-to-find records as it never appeared on any of the group's full-length albums, therefore I was unsuccessful for at least a couple of years in finding a used copy. My luck, when it came to this specific single, recently changed when I found a used copy on Ebay for only ten dollars. I'm not a big Ebay shopper, rather preferring to take more pride in being a crate digger, however when you find a classic italo gem like this for such a great price it's basically impossible to pass up. Two years ago when I deejayed a large party in Paris I dropped a digital version of this funky gem and the crowd really loved every second of it. This July I'm going back to Paris and hopefully this time around I can do the same, this time with the original wax. Enjoy!

Easy Going - Go Away Little Girl

The Jungle In My Mind

If you have listened to a number of my edits, you will find that I have a thing for animal and jungle atmospheric sound effects. I love this idea of a disco located somewhere in the deep hidden terrains of a tropical jungle. A song that captures that ascents is the Kongas'(featuring Cerrone and Alec R. Costandinos) 1978 funky disco gem "Jungle". This rendition of the track appears on the group's Anikana-O LP. An earlier, more raw version of the song can also be found on the group's 1974 self-title outing, however the track lacks the same disco appeal and production quality that I feel the later version posses, which probably has to do with the fact that Tom Moulton handled the records overall mixing. Jungle is just one of the many great songs on the record, which also includes funky disco classics like "Kongas Fun" and the self-titled track "Anikana-O". Overall, the entire album, in my mind, is one of the best records that both Cerrone and Alec R. Costandinos have collaborated on and one I highly recommend snatching up when you get the chance. I'm currently finishing up an edit of the "Jungle" track for Cabana Disco vol.5. Look for it on this site in the coming month. Enjoy the Jungle!

Kongas - Jungle

Keep The Fire Buning

On most of my trips to Vancouver, Canada I have come away with some solid finds. Out of all the records I have purchased up north, probably the most satisfying purchase was a used copy of King Sporty & The Root Rockers' 1979 Get On Down/ Fire Keep On Burning promo twelve-inch. At the time I had never even heard of either track, however the owner of a great shop simply called Records picked it out and played it for me after seeing the other records I was looking to buy. Even though I usually pass, for numerous reasons, on many of the records that store clerks try to encourage me to buy, I was completely blown away by both tracks on this twelve-inch single. After getting back in the states and doing a little research on the record and songs I found that the A-side track "Get On Down" is one of the most sought after disco tracks by deejays and collectors. The B-side track is certainly no slouch as the entire track is backed by a solid repetitive funky groove that can also work nicely on the dance floor. Now that I own a copy of the single and have learned how difficult the record is to find, I am very happy that I didn't pass on such a gem. On another note, I am currently working on an edit of "Fire Keep On Burning" for Cabana Disco vol.5. Anyways, until then enjoy this original version.

King Sporty & The Root Rockers - Fire Keep On Burning

Drums of Passion

One of the most influential African records of all-time is Babatunde Olatunji's heavy Afro percussion album Drums of Passion. This record, which sounds like it's from the early seventies was actually released in 1959, which was well before anything remotely sounding like it had emerged. According to many early deejays, the African drum arrangements of the record, especially the funky "Jin-Go-Lo-Ba(Drums Of Passion) track, helped introduce the world to African percussion, which thereby influencing the early discos in Manhattan. In Tim Lawrence's amazing book on the history of American dance music culture, titled "Love Saves The Day", legendary disco deejay Francis Grasso describes the effect the song would have during the early years of the Sanctuary, "They moved their hips, their bodies, and their arms, and the faster the music got the crazier they reacted". With the records intense and unique drum work, deejays and producers a like have made Olatunji's Drums of Passion one of the most sampled records of all-time. The record could be considered as the earliest form of Afrobeat, as well as settting the percussion standard for many of the early seventies disco songs. Overall, the album not only serves as a great record but as a classic time piece. Enjoy!

Babatunde Olatunji - Jin-Go-Lo-Ba (Drums Of Passion)

Freedom No Go Die

I recently did a write-up on the amazing new album from Canada's very own The Souljazz Orchestra. Well, here is the title track off their 2007 album Freedom No Go Die. This record could be considered the first release that gained worldwide attention with funky Afrobeat cuts like "Mista President", "The Blind Leading The Blind", "Mugambi" and of course "Freedom No Go Die". With all the attention that the group has recently received by the new album Rising Sun, the good people over at Do Right! Music, which originally released Freedom No Go Die, have made the early album more available by doing a recent repressing of the record which you can purchase here. Overall, it's a great record and an early insight into what has been an amazing trail of brilliant music that has continued to follow this very talented group. Enjoy!

The Souljazz Orchestra - Freedom No Go Die

Flight to Cuba

Here is a funky rare Latin track titled "Flight to Cuba" by the group Fire. I'm not sure exacty when this song was produced however I wouldn't be suprised if it originated in the early seventies. The song has more recently been re-issued by a few labels including Luv N'Haight and Harmless. Overall, "Flight to Cuba" is a great funky instrumental Latin cut that includes some solid percussion breaks. Now if I can only get the U.S. government to allow me to take that "flight to Cuba" for a visit, I would be a very happy person. Hopefully someday our country will end this ridiculous and out-dated sanction. Until then, Enjoy!

Fire - Flight to Cuba

Steve Reid (1944 - 2010)

Legendary jazz drummer Steve Reid sadly passed away last Tuesday (April 13, 2010) at the age of sixty-six. I sit here writing this wishing I can say that I've been enjoying Reid's brilliant music and recordings for years now, however unfortunately I've only just recently gotten into the experimental jazz musician. And even though I'm still very new to the music that he wrote and composed, I can quickly see how groundbreaking he was for jazz and experimental music. Albums like Nova, Rhythmatism, and Odyssey Of The Oblong Square, which were originally released in the mid-to-late seventies sound well ahead of there time as they blend together funky jazz fusion grooves with experimental electronics and arrangements. In his later years, he continued with his experimentation with electronic music and that led him to teaming up with one of the genre's finest in Kieran Hebden, whom some might better know as Four Tet. The two released a series of solid records titled The Exchange Sessions which combined Hebden's electronics with Reid's free-jazz indulged signature percussion sound. One of my favorite releases of Reid's was his 2007 album Daxaar, which was recorded in Africa by a group he put together, that also included Hebden, called the Steve Reid Ensemble. When it comes to this American jazz artist, there is plenty of songs, albums, recordings, and performances to discuss and admire, however being someone who has only recently been introduced to his music I would like to sit back and just enjoy his work. The day he died I was saddened by the fact that I never saw him perform and that it took me so long to be introduced to his music. That being said, the great thing about music is that even though artists live and die, the music that they wrote gets left behind for everyone to enjoy. When it comes to Steve Reid's music, it's safe to say that future generations will definitely enjoy for years to come. Here is to you Steve Reid, for a great life and brilliant music career. You will be surely missed.

Steve Reid - Lions of Judah



Steve Reid Ensemble - Daxaar



Other Notable Posts Discussing Steve Reid's Passing:
Wax Poetics - RIP Steve Reid
Remembering An Oblong Odyssey: Steve Reid

The Disco Sound of André Gagnon

During the mid-seventies as disco was becoming the upcoming hot new sound, song writer and composer André Gagnon "jumped on the wagon", as many artists did at the time, and experimented with the genre. During this experimental time, Gagnon wrote a few solid instrumental disco tracks including "Ta Samba", "Surprise", an my personal favorite "Wow". A couple of the songs were included on his 1975 album Neiges, however all of the tracks appeared as twelve and seven inch singles. I recently found a used copy of the London Disco released "Surprise" twelve, which also features "Wow" on the B-Side. This was one of the few releases that Gagnon went under the slightly more descriptive alias The Disco Sound Of Andre Gagnon which I can imagine was mostly meant for marketing purposes. Regardless, this was a record I had been looking to find for quite sometime and was very excited to have found it for a very cheap price of two dollars. Overall, I can't say that I can vouch for most of André Gagnon's music, however for a coupe of releases during the mid-seventies, he definitely released a few solid disco singles worth owning.

André Gagnon - Wow

Love Is Here To Stay

Moton Records Inc is a label that has been around since the early nineties. The label, which has been a collaborative effort from some of the world's best and most seasoned deejays and producers including DJ's Diesel, Harvey, Dave Jarvis and Ashley Beedle, focuses on re-editing lost and forgotten disco classics. Over the last few years, there has been a definite rejuvenation of the label after what seemed like a short hiatus, with many of what I find as the label's best releases. One of my favorite re-edits over the last year from the label has been their edit of Mary Mundy's 1982 soulful disco track "Love Is Gone" (re-titled on the releases as "Love Is Here"). I don't know out of the bunch who deserves credit for this specific edit (and maybe someone can shed a little light onto that question), however I know that it is included on the label's 27th release, which for a label that focuses purely on re-edits is pretty impressive. The edit has an overall upbeat groove including a very catching chorus that can work nicely as one of those prime hour cuts that gets the crowd singing along. In all, just another solid release from a label that has continued to put out great re-edits for over the past two decades. Enjoy the love!

Mary Mundy - Love Is Gone (Moton Records Re-Edit)

Musica Caliente

One thing I find extremely hard to do is to declare all-time favorites when it comes to artists/groups, albums, and songs. For example, I know that Arthur Russell is my all-time favorite artist, however when it comes to my top five, it starts to get kind of hazy. The more I think about it however, the more that I've concluded that one of my top five favorites is the funky Latin rock band Barrabas. I've posted their music on this site many times and I find they are one of those groups that truly blurs the lines between many of my favorite music genres including disco, Latin funk/jazz, along with heavy Afro-hitting percussion rhythms. Today, I thought I would share another one of my favorite tracks of theirs in "Take It All". This funky 1975 cut represents one of the group's more hard-to-find songs to hunt down. I first heard it on Vampi Soul's 2005 Barrabas-retrospective compilation titled Musica Caliente. The double-vinyl album serves as sort of a "greatest hits" type of release for the group however, in fair criticism, some of the group's best material is missing from the release including "Woman" and "On The Road Again" among others. The other thing I question when comes to the Musica Caliente record is the accuracy when it comes to which album each song was originally included on. I own most of Barrabas' original albums and some of the back-cover information seems to be slightly inaccurate. For instance, "Take It All" was supposedly released on an album titled Desperately and according to my knowledge Desperately is a single released by the group and not an album. Regardless, the overall Vampi Soul release is solid and helps outline many of Barrabas' best and at times rarest tracks like "Take It All". Even with what I feel like are some song credit inaccuracies, I still believe Musica Caliente is a record definitely worth owning. Enjoy!

Barrabas - Take It All

Ledin Me Astray

One of my all-time favorite disco re-edits comes from one of Oslo's finest in Rune Lindbæk. Ever since the release in 2008, his edit of an unfamiliar Tomas Ledin song, re-titled "Ledin Me Astray", has been in regular rotation at home and in my deejay set lists. This funky edit was released as a part of a twelve-inch single, titled But For The Grace Of Cod, by the Lobster Disques label who has released a number of great re-edit records over the past few years. Unfortunately since this release in 2008, the people at the Lobster Disques camp haven't released a follow-up. Regardless, Rune Lindbæk has been releasing quality re-edits and great original productions for over the past decade and this amazing edit represents, in my opinion, some of his best work to date. Enjoy!

Rune Lindbæk - Ledin Me Astray

Love is Gonna Be On Your Side

I suppose if your going to constantly get one song stuck in your head, it better be a good one. For me as of late, that has been the case as I have constantly been walking around the city with the tune of Firefly's "Love (Is Gonna Be On Your Side)" in my head. It might be a little surprising especially with all the Afro tracks I've been posting as of late, however this 1981 italo flavoured cut has such a memorable chorus and feel-good groove therefore serving as a nice melody to hum along to while adventuring the city on a weekend's afternoon. Regardless if you've experienced the same kind of situation or not, it's safe to say that the seven-plus minute dance floor friendly track is a true gem and an early italo classic. And at the very least, a song well worth humming along to. Enjoy!

Firefly - Love (Is Gonna Be On Your Side)

Jungle Riders

Starting the week off with a rare cut from Manu Dibango, titled "Jungle Riders". This heavy Afro funk track is included on Dibango's very rare 1972 album African Voodoo. Out of all of the saxophonist's numerous releases, African Voodoo might represent the hardest one to actually find. One of the reason's might be because Dibango's name doesn't appear on the cover of the album, with only a slight mention on the record's back cover. Also this was one of his few releases right before his classic signature Soul Makossa release, which happened later on in the same year. Some of the record's standout tracks include "Groovy Flute", "African Pop Session", "Aphrodite Shake", and of course today's featured track "Jungle Riders". Overall, African Voodoo is a solid Afro funk record that finds Dibango at the early stages of finding his "makossa style" identity and a great collector's item for fans of the legendary musician. Enjoy the ride!

Manu Dibango - Jungle Riders

Black & Brown Boogie

Recently, I was excited to find an original copy of José Mangual's 1977 album Buyú. The record marks as the Latin percussionist's folllow-up release to his highly acclaimed instructional based album Understanding Latin Rhythms, Vol. 1. Before releasing his material, Mangual worked as a session percussionist, playing bongos, congas and timbales for known jazz artists like Miles Davis, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Willie Bobo, and many others. On Buyú, the Puerto Rico native showcases his abilities with some funky Latin cuts like "Mai Kinshasa", "Chinatown", "Bomba A Puerto Rico", as well as the more dance floor friendly track "Black & Brown Boogie". Overall, the album marks as a great release of work from another one of Latin music's finest percussionist. Enjoy!

José Mangual - Black & Brown Boogie

Sabu's Jazz Espagnole

Today I thought I would go a little Latin with another great cut, titled "I Remember Carmen", from Sabu Martinez. This funky Latin percussion gem was released off of Sabu's 1961 album Sabu's Jazz Espagnole, which was recently re-issued on vinyl. Much like "I Remember Carmen", the entire album features a lot of conga-heavy Latin jazz grooves throughout. Some of the other standout tracks include "The Oracle", "Breakin' It In", "Nica's Dream", and "Otra Vez", among others. Overall, there is no deny the impact and influence that Sabu Martinez has had on Latin and Afro-Cuban music, and his timeless release of Sabu's Jazz Espagnole is just another example of the amazing music that this percussionist released during his life. Enjoy!

Sabu Martinez - I Remember Carmen

The Natives Are Restless

I'm away from my computer for most of the day, so I thought I would keep it simple and just re-post Ray Martinez's tribal disco classic "The Natives Are Restless". This funky track was featured on Martinez's 1980 Lady of the Night record. Even though the Cuban born musician and songwriter produced many great disco records for many different disco groups/artists including Foxy, Passion, and George McCrae, the Lady of the Night record represents his only work under his real name. The entire four-song record is pretty solid from start to finish, however his production of "The Natives Are Restless" is the record's true masterpiece in my opinion, and definitely a song I never get tired of sharing. Enjoy!

Ray Martinez - The Natives Are Restless

Disco Africa

As I'm sure you have noticed, I've been really listening to a lot of Afro grooves as of late. One of the tracks that have been on constant rotation is The Ogyatanaa Show Band's funky seventies gem "Disco Africa". This very rare track was recently released on the excellent Soundway compilation Ghana Soundz Volume 2, which features many great tracks including Ebo Taylor's "Atwer Abroba", The African Brother's "Sakatumbe " and Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band's "Olufeme" among many others. On "Disco Africa", we find The Ogyatanaa Show Band successfully blurring the lines between Afrobeat and disco. However probably more importantly, it's nice to see labels like Soundway, Analog Africa, Honest Jon's, and Strut making lost songs like "Disco Africa" and compilations like Ghana Soundz Volume 2 available to new generations of music lovers, like myself. Enjoy!

The Ogyatanaa Show Band - Disco Africa

Orlando's Afro Sound

Here is one of the many great tracks by Orlando Julius, titled "Home Sweet Home". This early seventies Afro-funk cut has been featured most recently on a couple of great compilations that have paid tribute to the Nigerian artist including Soundway's Orlando's Afro Ideas: 1969 -1972 and Vampi Soul's triple-vinyl retrospective titled Super Afro Soul. For those whom may not be as familiar, Orlando Julius has been credited with basically inventing the "Afro Funk" sound of the late sixties and early seventies. He has been one of African music's biggest contributors and notable artists, alongside Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, Manu Dibango, and perhaps Hugh Masekela. The funky "Home Sweet Home" track, just represents one of his many standout songs that this legendary artist wrote in his very prolific and influential music career. Enjoy!

Orlando Julius - Home Sweet Home

Happy Easter

Because Easter is about Bunnies, right?

Goody Goody - I Want to Know

African Chain Gang

I'm ending the week with one of the many great tracks off of Black Blood's hard-to-find 1977 Blood Brother, Blood Sister album, titled "Muko Wapi (African Chain Gang)". I actually own this album and the group's 1975 A.I.E. full-length, which interestingly features some of the same songs including "A.I.E. (A Mwana)", "Ewohe Dance", and "Kiswahili". Even though both records are very solid and have their distinguished upsides, I think I slightly favor their 1977 release a bit more. I think the Blood Brother, Blood Sister LP has just a little "more meat on the bone" as they say, with funky cuts like "Wela Wela", "Be Happy", and of course "Muko Wapi (African Chain Gang)". Overall, Black Blood in my opinion is one of the better African disco groups that ever existed, therefore I highly recommend snatching up just about each and every release that your lucky enough to find. Enjoy!

Black Blood - Muko Wapi (African Chain Gang)

Prins Thomas Presents Prins Thomas

I recently had a chance to hear the new Prins Thomas full-length album, that is being released this week. With the Oslo native being one of my all-time favorite producers, I've been excited about this album ever since I heard it was in the making. Everything from his own productions and his collaborative work with space-disco mastermind Lindstrom to his brilliant re-edits, mixes, and classic Major Swellings releases, Thomas has been releasing some of the most amazing and cutting-edge music I've heard for the past decade. On his first solo full-length of original works, Thomas continues to set the bar even higher. The record features seven solid tracks that blend his signature cosmic and psychedelic sound with a lot of funky organic grooves. The prescence of live drums and other percussion are very relevant throughout the entire record. Some of my favorite tracks include "Wendy Not Walter", "Orkenvandring", "Nattonsket", and today's featured song "Uggebugg". With this new full-length album, Prins Thomas has not only released one of the best record's of the year, he has produced an absolute masterpeice. There is no doubt in my mind that this one record everyone should own. And with that, sit back and enjoy!

Prins Thomas - Uggebugg