Category Archives: Disco
THE RITCHIE FAMILY-AFRICAN QUEENS.
THE RITCHIE FAMILY-AFRICAN QUEENS. Just like The Ritchie Family’s three previous albums, their fourth album, 1977s African Queens which will be rereleased by Gold Legion on 27th July 2o13, was a disco concept album. Their 1975 Latin-tinged debut album Brazil was The Ritchie Family’s most successful album. Brazil, which featured The Sweethearts of Sigma’s vocals …
BOOKER T.-I WANT YOU.
BOOKER T.-I WANT YOU. It’s no exaggeration to refer to Booker T. Jones as a musical prodigy. Born in Memphis in 1944, Booker T’s musical talents were obvious from an early age. Whilst still at Booker T. Washington High School, Booker T. was already able to play piano, organ, oboe, saxophone and trombone. Aged sixteen, …
BACK TO MY ROOTS: DJ NORRI’S SALSOUL MIX.
BACK TO MY ROOTS: DJ NORRI’S SALSOUL MIX. Nine years after the release of The Salsoul Orchestra’s debut single Salsoul Hustle in 1975, what had been disco’s premier label, closed its doors for the final time. Having released 100 albums and 200 twelve inch singles, Salsoul Records had enjoyed a longevity few other disco labels …
UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 3-A COLLECTION OF RARE SOUL AND DISCO.
UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 3-A COLLECTION OF RARE SOUL AND DISCO. 2013 year has hardly been a vintage year for compilations. So far, I’d say it’s been a decidedly average year. The mountain of compilations released have certainly been eclectic, but have varied greatly in quality. Ranging from the good, bad and the ugly, we …
CANDIDO-CANDI’S FUNK.
CANDIDO-CANDI’S FUNK. 1979 was one of the most important years in the history of Salsoul Records. That year, disco died and briefly, Salsoul returned to its Latin roots. This happened when veteran Cuban percussionist signed to Salsoul Records. Dancin’ and Prancin’ his Salsoul debut, consisted of just four infectiously catchy, genre-sprawling tracks. Despite it indisputable …
MURO-DIGGIN’ SALSOUL BREAKS.
MURO-DIGGIN’ SALSOUL BREAKS. Despite closing its doors nearly thirty years ago, interest in Salsoul Records has never been higher. A new generation of music lovers are rediscovering what was undoubtably disco’s premier label. So too, are a new generations of DJs. Realizing that Salsoul Records’ illustrious back-catalogue is a goldmine for killer tracks and elusive …
THE ISLEY BROTHERS-WINNER TAKES ALL.
THE ISLEY BROTHERS-WINNER TAKES ALL. That The Isley Brothers called their 1979 album Winner Takes All, seems almost fitting. After all, The Isley Brothers were on what was the hottest streak of their long career. Since 1973, when The Isley Brothers released 3 + 3, commercial success and critical acclaim had been ever-present. They’d released …
PHILLY RE-GROOVED 3-TOM MOULTON REMIXES.
PHILLY RE-GROOVED 3-TOM MOULTON REMIXES. Whether it’s music or life, there aren’t many people who can be described as both an innovator and visionary. That however, is fitting description of Tom Moulton, whose one of the most important figures in the history of dance music. During his career, Tom Moulton invented remix and the twelve-inch …
INNER LIFE-INNER LIFE II.
INNER LIFE-INNER LIFE II. By 1982, when Inner Life released their their second album for Salsoul Records, Inner Life 2 not only was the changing of the guard complete, but Salsoul as a record label had been transformed. Nearly all of Salsoul’s founding father’s were gone and the legendary Salsoul Orchestra was a shadow of …
INNER LIFE-INNER LIFE.
INNER LIFE-INNER LIFE. By 1978, things were changing at Salsoul. The Salsoul Orchestra played a huge part in Salsoul’s success. They were much more than musicians, with many of its members songwriters, arrangers and producers. This included the Baker, Harris, Young rhythm section, Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey and Vince Montana Jr. So when Vince Montana …
BACKBEATS: PHILLY GEMS-MORE PHILLY DISCO FLOOR-FILLERS.
BACKBEATS: PHILLY GEMS-MORE PHILLY DISCO FLOOR-FILLERS One of the music industry’s big success stories of recent years has been Harmless Records’ Backbeats compilation series. In the last three years, the Backbeats’ compilation series has grown to become the world’s most popular compilation series. That is a remarkable achievement. We shouldn’t be surprised though. After all, …
THE MUGGSY STORY.
THE MUGGSY STORY. Although Johnny De Mairo’s name is synonymous with Henry Street Records, the label he founded with Tommy Musto in 1993, that wasn’t the only label he founded. Not at all. Once Henry Street Records was an established label, and had forged a reputation as one of the most innovative and influential labels …
SWEAT BAND-SWEAT BAND.
SWEAT BAND-SWEAT BAND. After George Clinton and his manager Archie Ivy formed Uncle Jam Records, the nascent label’s first release was the debut album from Bootsy Collins newly formed P-Funk supergroup Sweat Band. Formed out of the ashes of Bootsy’s Rubber Band, Sweat Band was a short-lived P-Funk group, who released just one album in 1980. …
CANDIDO-DANCIN’ AND PRANCIN.’
CANDIDO-DANCIN’ AND PRANCIN.’ Two of the most innovative record labels in the history of modern music are Blue Note and Salsoul Records. However, there was only one artist who released albums on both labels. That artist is legendary Cuban percussionist, Candido, who released two albums for Salsoul in 1979. Candido’s Salsoul debut was Dancin’ and …
SKYY-SKYY LINE.
SKYY-SKYY LINE. By the time Skyy released their fourth album for Salsoul Records, Skyy Line, which was recently rereleased by BBR Records, Salsoul, and indeed music, had changed dramatically. Between 1975 and 1979, Salsoul Records had established a reputation as disco’s premier label. Salsoul Records gained a reputation as an innovative and influential label, who …
THE TRAMMPS-DISCO INFERNO.
THE TRAMMPS-DISCO INFERNO. Eight months after The Trammps released Where The Happy People Go in April 1976, they released their third studio album Disco Inferno In December 1976. A year after The Trammps released Disco Inferno, which was rereleased by WEA Japan on 30th April 2013, their career was totally transformed. This transformation took place …
JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M&M MIXES VOLUME 3 INSTRUMENTALS.
JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M&M MIXES VOLUME 3 INSTRUMENTALS. Compilations of John Morales’ remixes are a bit like London buses, you wait ages for one, then two come along at once. After releasing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful The M&M Mixes Volume 2 in March 2011, John Morales spent the next years working not just …
SALSOUL PRESENTS-PHILLY SOUL FLAVAS.
SALSOUL PRESENTS-PHILLY SOUL FLAVAS. There aren’t many musicians who played their part in making two separate record labels the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful, innovative and influential labels in the history of music. However, back in the late sixties in Philadelphia, a group of supremely talented musicians began working together. This included the Baker, Harris, …
DISCO RECHARGE: EVELYN THOMAS-I WANNA MAKE IT ON MY OWN AND HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME.
DISCO RECHARGE: EVELYN THOMAS-I WANNA MAKE IT ON MY OWN AND HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME. On 1975, DJ and producer Ian Levine headed to America is search of artists he could record for his newly founded production company Voltafine. Ian’s idea was to record American soul singers, then lease the recordings to major …
DISCO RECHARGE: GRAND TOUR ON SUCH A WINTER’S DAY AND SOUTHERN EXPOSURE HEADIN’ SOUTH-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE: GRAND TOUR ON SUCH A WINTER’S DAY AND SOUTHERN EXPOSURE HEADIN’ SOUTH-SPECIAL EDITION. Back in 1976, in Toronto, Canada, a musical partnership that resuled in some of the most innovative music of the disco era was formed. This partnership was made up of Willi Morrison, who was born in Scotland, but moved to …
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